It is certain that teams want to head into the postseason on a good note.

And what could be better than a win over your archrival to round out the regular season?

No. 3 UCLA women’s water polo (17-4, 4-1 MPSF) will face No. 2 USC (26-1, 5-0) on Saturday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Center as their final conference matchup and Senior Day celebration before the MPSF tournament begins April 25.

UCLA is coming off a 16-9 win against then-No. 3 Hawaiʻi on April 12, after having suffered a two-point loss to No. 1 Stanford the week prior.

The Bruins trounced the Rainbow Warriors in a game featuring a 7-1 second frame where utility Anna Pearson finished Saturday with four goals on seven shots. The junior hasn’t recorded a game with fewer than two goals since March 8.

Pearson was not alone either, as five other Bruins tallied multiple goals against the Rainbow Warriors, including junior utility Genoa Rossi, who recorded just her second multi-score performance of the season.

“Our girls did a good job working together as a team to find the best solution in their attack,” said assistant coach Brooke Maxson. “It shows all of the training we’ve put in.”

While the victory over Hawaiʻi observed a torrential scoring outburst, stability at the net remains crucial.

After goalkeeper Lauren Steele won ACWPC Player of the Year last year as a freshman who enrolled in 2024’s winter quarter, the sophomore may be concluding a comparable level of performance this season heading into the playoffs.

The Old Greenwich, Connecticut, local has posted a 0.537 save percentage this year and has had at least a 0.400 clip in each of the last nine games. Across the entire 2025 campaign, Steele has failed to meet this metric on only four occasions.

Last year, the NCAA Championship MVP had an even better display with a 0.669 save percentage.

“Our energy was something we knew we could fall back on, but also being smart and taking our time,” Steele said.

However, a victory over the Trojans is not a guarantee. The Los Angeles rivals’ previous matchup concluded with an 11-14 Bruin defeat on Feb. 2 at the Triton Invitational, ending the team’s 32-game win streak that dated back to the beginning of the 2024 campaign.

“It’s always exciting when we play USC,” Steele said. “We have a chance to do something special with them and prove how far we’ve come and what kind of team UCLA is. We’re excited. We’re going to gear up this week.”

And on the other side of the pool is a formidable Trojan team that has scored more than double the number of goals its given up.

Attacker Emily Ausmus leads the Trojans with 94 goals in 2025, two of which came against the Bruins in their previous affair, leading her team.

In just her first collegiate season, Ausmus also boasts a team-high 0.627 shot percentage. However, she’s not alone, as nine other players post clips of 0.500 or higher.

But the reigning national champions haven’t underestimated their ability to perform in high-pressure situations.

Just like how April 12’s win redeemed the Bruins’ previous Feb. 23 loss to the Rainbow Warriors, Saturday’s battle provides the opportunity to even the season series against the Trojans.

“We don’t treat any opponent differently,” Maxson said. “Just keeping a consistent mindset. The girls have been putting in a lot of effort in and out of the pool, taking care of their bodies.”