The Anteater Aquatics Complex pushed the Bruins to the brink barely a week ago.

They managed to escape by a point over the Anteaters – a razor-thin 16-15 win – for their smallest margin of victory since April 2023.

But the Bruins will wade back to the complex for their second try of the season this Friday.

No. 3 UCLA women’s water polo (8-1, 1-0 MPSF) will head down to Irvine once again – only this time for the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, where it will face Pomona-Pitzer (2-2, 1-0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and other ranked opponents through the weekend.

Avoiding the scare UCLA endured against No. 6 UC Irvine on Saturday will require focus through this weekend’s invitational.

“Communicating, working on connecting more as a team and communicating,” said sophomore goalkeeper Joey Niz.

The Bruins are no strangers to success at this weekend’s tournament. UCLA has competed in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational for the past four years, clinching the title in 2024 with a 15-9 win over Hawai’i in the final. That championship run included victories over Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Stanford.

And as the team returns to familiar waters, the goal will not merely be defending its title – it’ll also be about sharpening chemistry and reclaiming an offensive edge after Saturday’s near upset.

“We’re going to be tested,” said coach Adam Wright. “There’s going to be times where we’re not at our best, but you have to find a way to win.”

Unlike its previous matchups – in which UCLA built comfortable leads – the team’s contest against Irvine was far tighter.

Junior utility Anna Pearson has proved a key asset in UCLA’s scoring runs, currently ranking second on the team with 19 goals in 2025 alone – just one score behind redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback.

Pearson netted four goals in the team’s tight win over the Anteaters, serving as the Bruins’ lifeline when they needed it most.

“We need to work on coming out harder,” Pearson said. “We can’t go down by seven goals in the first quarter, but also have confidence that even when that does happen, we can get ourselves out of that situation.”

It is no secret that Wright has a versatile and skilled roster – something he has repeated throughout the season. However, the Bruins haven’t consistently played to the standard Wright had envisioned, which remains his underlying concern.

For Wright, cohesive and grounded play – pillars of his coaching philosophy – transcends talent or experience.

“The players that are returning have to understand that where we were last year and how we finished last year was a result of their discipline and doing things the right way,” Wright said. “It’s not fun to not play our best, but it’s part of the process.”