Joseph’s Diagnosis: Early season losses for UCLA women’s water polo reflect programwide struggles

For nearly the entire history of NCAA water polo, a quartet of schools has established themselves above the rest.

Four teams have long stood as bastions of talent and barriers to winning a national championship in the sport.

But in recent years, one has seemingly slipped behind its companions.

Since the inception of the NCAA women’s water polo championship in 2001, UCLA, Stanford, USC and California have dominated the postseason, with only the former three ever taking home a title. Similarly, there have only been five instances of teams not among that group winning the men’s title since 1969, and none since Pepperdine reached the top in 1997.

But recent years seem to tell a different tale. Since UCLA men’s water polo claimed the championship in 2020, the group has been unable to get past Cal or USC, dropping contests to one or the other in the past two NCAA tournaments. The Bruins possess a combined 4-8 record over the last two seasons against the pair, with a single Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament win against the Trojans representing the only postseason success against either school.

The women’s team has written a similar story. UCLA was routed by its crosstown rival 18-9 in the 2021 national championship game in Westwood. The following year, the Bruins notched a pair of losses in the MPSF tournament against the Cardinal and Golden Bears before a semifinals exit against eventual champion Stanford in the NCAA tournament.

Now, the blue and gold may be staring down the continuance of what’s become a common thread.

After a nine-game winning streak to start the 2023 women’s season, now-No. 4 UCLA was downed by No. 2 USC. Three weeks later, the Trojans handed the Bruins their second loss of the campaign before the now-No. 3-ranked Golden Bears provided a third just a day later.

And what’s next on the schedule? A road matchup against No. 1 Stanford, who has already defeated both USC and Cal.

The contest against the Cardinal also marks conference play entering full swing, and should UCLA lose to Stanford, it will have dropped contests to all three of its main competitors for the MPSF and NCAA titles later this season.

What was once the four horsemen of collegiate water polo now feels like a trio, with UCLA on the outside looking in. Even just two years removed from a national championship for the men’s team, the struggles of the last two seasons have made the Nicolas Saveljic-led squad feel distant.

In much the same way, the days of Maddie Musselman headlining the women’s program are gone. Even with one of the greatest water polo players in the history of the sport, UCLA failed to claim a national championship in her time as a Bruin, making just one trip to the finals during her tenure.

USC and Stanford have run the table since UCLA claimed five consecutive titles from 2005 to 2009, with four runner-up seasons for the Bruins since then and just one since coach Adam Wright took over the women’s team ahead of the 2018 season.

As the Bruins enter the back half of their season, it’s clear they’ve hit a rut. They’re struggling to match the talent of their competition, and it doesn’t bode well for a rapidly approaching postseason.

Something has to give if UCLA wants to turn things around, and with the Stanford game and the rest of MPSF play on the horizon, the problem of underperformance is flying right in front of the team’s face.

The only question is whether the blue and gold will be able to solve it.