Victory doesn’t come easy, but for UCLA’s men’s water polo, it comes in waves.

The echoes of last year’s defeat to No. 7 seed California (12-12, 1-5 MPSF) were silenced as No. 1 seed UCLA men’s water polo (23-1, 5-1) out-dueled California 16-14 at Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday in the MPSF West tournament semifinal.

The victory kept the Bruins’ championship aspirations alive as they advanced to the tournament championship, where they will face No. 5 seed USC.

Graduate student center defender Nico Tierney led the Bruins’ offensive onslaught, scoring five goals, while freshman attacker Ryder Dodd added four goals of his own. The consistent scoring helped UCLA maintain control, though defensive concerns emerged.

“I think we can do a better job defensively,” Tierney said. “Obviously, 14 goals is not a number that we want to be giving up on a regular basis. Offensively, putting up 16 goals against Cal is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Coach Adam Wright focused more on the bigger picture of the game, stressing that the team needs to focus on mechanics and strategy heading into the final.

“We got too emotional out there,” Wright said. “There is no need to adapt the strategy. However, at this point in the season, this team has a lot of room for growth, which makes it interesting.”

UCLA shot ahead in scoring six goals across the third quarter but struggled to find the back of the net, only scoring twice across the fourth.

Graduate student goalkeeper Garret Griggs – who made 14 saves across the game – acknowledged the high-scoring result from Berkeley wasn’t ideal.

“For our liking, probably a little bit higher scoring than we would have liked,” Griggs said. “But you know, some games just happen like that.”

Despite the Bears’ influx of goals in the second half of the game, the Bruins also managed to notch 17 blocks against their opponents’ seven – an offensive focus they’ll carry into the MPSF West final.

“We know exactly what we need to do now. It’s just about going out there and executing,” Tierney said. “If we follow our game plans, I’m fully confident we’ll be able to beat anywhere in the country.”

After making it through the MPSF West semifinal – the team’s first loss of the season last year – the Bruins will face their first MPSF final since their loss to California in 2022.

Looking ahead, the team’s focus will shift to defensive improvement as it progresses to championship play.

“We just need to make sure we’re more focused on getting stops,” Tierney said. “We’re getting goals, but tomorrow is going to be a completely different game so coming in with a fresh mindset.”