The only nation to medal in every Games since water polo joined the Olympic catalog is one step closer to the podium.

The United States women’s water polo team – which rosters three UCLA alumni as players and two as coaches – finished second in its preliminary rounds to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Led by former UCLA coach Adam Krikorian and former assistant coach Molly Cahill, the team completed Group B play Friday with a 3-1 record.

Former Bruin attackers Maddie Musselman and Rachel Fattal – both competing in their third Games – each found the back of the net in the team’s 15-6 victory over Greece to open Olympic play.

The squad’s second game against Spain was a rematch of the Tokyo Games gold medal match – where the U.S. defeated Spain 14-5.

But the Spanish turned the narrative on its head, handing the Americans their sole loss of group play with a narrow 13-11 victory over the reigning gold medalists.

Despite a nip-and-tuck battle throughout the first half, Spain quickly forged a 11-6 lead in the third quarter. Goals from former Bruin utility Tara Prentice and Musselman late in the frame weren’t enough to close the deficit for the Americans, marking the team’s second loss in Olympic play in the last 12 years.

Musselman – MVP and leading scorer of the 2020 Games – helped the team bounce back in its following duel against Italy. After Fattal opened with the first goal of the match, Musselman went on to find the back of the net four times en route to a 10-3 victory.

Team USA ended group play with a decisive 17-5 win over France after Musselman led the team with four goals and Fattal contributed two of her own.

The U.S. reigned victorious over Hungary – the 2024 World Aquatics Championships runner-up – on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The 5-4 victory ensured the team a spot in the Olympic semifinals, where it will face Australia and rising junior utility Sienna Green.