With an unblemished record in tow, the Bruins will head north to continue their tournament run.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (6-0) will face No. 7 Princeton (7-1) to open its MPSF Invitational play Friday morning, followed by consecutive games against No. 15 UC San Diego (5-3) and No. 6 California (5-1).

“We have to clean up a lot, starting defensively, and then our zone attack, got to get better,” said coach Adam Wright. “We have to be prepared for everything, … and we have to prepare for any of the seven teams (in the tournament).”

The Bruins, who boast an undefeated record against the Tigers, outlasted their Saturday foes twice in 2023. Securing a 12-10 win at home during the regular season, the Bruins then cut the Tigers’ postseason hopes short with a 17-13 triumph in the NCAA semifinals.

Despite edging No. 9 UC Irvine 12-9 and California Baptist 19-8 in back-to-back games last weekend, redshirt junior defender Eli Liechty said the team was able to develop throughout both halves.

“Obviously, it was still kind of a slow start, but I think we were able to push the counter attack,” Lietchy said. “We were able to do the things that we wanted to do better in the second half.”

Nine Bruins found the back of the net against the Anteaters – after which 14 scored against the Lancers to mark a season high. Graduate student defender Nico Tierney – who scored a goal in the homecoming game against Irvine – said the Bruins’ versatility and depth can be credited to veteran mentorship.

“Obviously, I’m new and played under a completely different system, so just trying to learn as much as possible in a short amount of time,” Tierney said. “The guys are as great a help as they can be, so it has been awesome so far.”

With four of five 2023 All-Americans returning for the season, newcomers are under adept tutelage. But despite pieces in place on the team’s lineup, the season still offers an opportunity for growth and adaptation as new players integrate into the existing framework.

Following a duel against the Tigers, the Bruins will rematch the Tritons after a 15-7 victory earlier this season. UCLA will end its tournament campaign against Cal, the same team that clinched a 13-11 win in 2023’s national championship game against the Bruins.

In the same conditions in 2023, UCLA had the edge over Cal, ousting them 12-10 to cement its MPSF Invitational title.

“For this week, it’ll probably be a lot more focused on ourselves and what we need to do going into the weekend instead of just prepping, because we won’t necessarily know we’re playing, so we just take care of our own business and the weekend.”