This post was updated Jan. 28 at 11:20 p.m.

The reigning national champions proved their merit as more than half of the roster etched their names onto the scoreboard to open their season.

Sixteen Bruins found the back of the net across No. 1 UCLA women’s water polo’s (3-0) three-game weekend in Berkeley. Saturday saw UCLA notch a 17-8 victory over No. 15 UC Davis (3-3) before extending its winning streak to 28 straight with another 12-7 triumph over No. 8 Long Beach State (2-4).

The top-ranked team carried this momentum into Sunday, taking down No. 9 Fresno State (3-3) in an 18-14 victory.

“When you say 16 goal scorers, that’s a big positive. You don’t want three or four,” said coach Adam Wright.

Junior center Bia Mantellato led the charge against Davis in her Bruin debut. Mantellato – who transferred from Hawaiʻi – tied her career-high seven goals, the most ever scored by a Bruin in a season opener.

“It was good to get to know each other and finally play together,” Mantellato said. “We have been working on this for a while, and it was fun to actually get to play together.”

The Bruins maintained their defensive upper hand in Saturday’s matches, holding all of their opponents to single-digit scoring totals. However, that dominance came to an end Sunday afternoon when UCLA faced Fresno State in a high-scoring battle. The Bruins ultimately triumphed with an 18-14 victory, but the four-point lead was the lowest margin of victory for Wright’s squad across the weekend.

Junior utilities Anna Pearson and Lily Gess combined for almost half of UCLA’s total points against Fresno State. Pearson delivered a flawless performance, recording a match-high six kills off of six attempts. Gess trailed behind with two goals, contributing to the Bruins’ 18-14 victory.

The team’s main focus of the weekend was on gaining experience and building familiarity.

“Overall, it was a great learning week,” Wright said. “We have players who’ve never played a college game in their life, getting them experience. We’ve had players that last year didn’t play, getting them experience, and then those who always played, being the standard of showing how we get things done.”

Though Wright’s lineup is still evolving, this weekend provided a clear glimpse into the depth and versatility of the UCLA squad – a hallmark of its arsenal under Wright’s leadership.

The weekend’s matches marked the first of the season for the Bruins following scheduling disruptions caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles. The players expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete before the start of conference play.

UCLA will return to competition next weekend at the Triton Invitational in San Diego from Friday to Sunday.

“Each weekend and each game, we’re working on progressing and focusing on our game and getting to know each other,” Gess said. “We have a lot of work to do, but this was definitely a good start to it.”