Defending MPSF champions No. 1 seed UCLA women’s water polo (18-4, 5-1 MPSF) will return to Spieker Aquatics Center for the final time this season to defend its MPSF title. After defeating No. 2 seed USC (26-2, 5-1) by the necessary four-goal differential tie breaker, UCLA secured the top seed and a bye for the first round of the conference tournament. Before the team opens play Saturday in the quarterfinal, the Daily Bruin Sports’ women’s water polo beat predicts where the Bruins will finish in the MPSF tournament.

Rahaf Abumansour
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: MPSF champions

Halfway through the season, I wrote about the danger of success.

Coach Adam Wright put it plainly: “You forget the little things that are so important in order to have success. You forget the standard.”

While that sentiment rang true in the first half of the season, the latter half showed that the Bruins were better understanding the standard and bringing it back. With eight wins and just one loss since then, UCLA has shown it has the grit to uphold what Wright demands.

The Bruins picked up big wins over USC and Hawai’i to close out the regular season. Their rotations are clicking, their defense is sharp and the team looks locked in.

The only caveat to winning? No. 3 seed Stanford who they lost to 12-14 on April 5. But the Bruins are averse to losing. With only four losses this year and an undefeated season in 2024, they know how to win when it means the most.

There’s little doubt they’ll handle the semifinal – only Stanford looks capable of stopping them.

UCLA’s strength lies in its arsenal: juniors utility Anna Pearson and center Bia Mantellato. Pearson leads the team with 53 goals, followed by Mantellato’s 42. Together, they’ve become the offensive backbone of a team that isn’t just chasing the standard – they’re ready to set it themselves.

And to me, only the Cardinal can shake the standard of the Bruins, so unless they are squaring off against them this weekend, I expect a clutch performance.

Felicia Keller
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: MPSF champions

It’s been an unusual season for the Bruins.

They had historic losses at the historic Barbara Kalbus Cup.

“Without a doubt, probably, in my time with the women’s team, one of the toughest weekends just from top to bottom,” said coach Adam Wright.

But now they’ve clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the MPSF tournament.

The value of that seed can’t be overstated. An extra day of practice and an easier opponent in the semifinal allows the Bruins a much easier path to the finals.

No shade to No. 4 seed California – who I expect to handily beat No. 5 seed San Jose State – but this season, neither possible semifinal opponent for UCLA appears to be of the same caliber as No. 2 seed USC or No. 3 seed Stanford – the only two teams in this tournament who beat UCLA this season.

But the Bruins have turned things up a notch since those historic losses, following a team reset in March. And they pulled out the four-point win over the Trojans to clinch the regular season conference win less than a week ago.

So once UCLA makes its way through Saturday’s game, no matter which opponent it meets Sunday, I expect UCLA to pull out the win.

The Bruins will likely have a bad start, again.

But just like the last two weekends against Hawai’i and USC, a stellar second-quarter push will propel them past their opponent and all the way to a conference championship.

Ava Abrishamchian
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: MPSF champions

UCLA is stuck in the shadow of their past.

In 2024, the Bruins reached the top of the mountain. A flawless run. A national title. A season to remember. But one year later, perfection is no longer a given – and neither is the crown.

The 2025 squad has remnants of their past, but also cracks that weren’t there before. In their early-season rematch against No. 5 Hawai’i, the Bruins couldn’t find the same second-half spark that defined last year’s comeback. Instead, they fell behind and stayed behind. A few weeks later, Stanford capitalized on defensive lapses to hand UCLA another loss.

Still, the Bruins are no strangers to pressure. They’ve been tested all year. In a tough final match up against the Trojans, the Bruins saw the end of the tunnel early. The offense remained dangerous, with veteran sophomore utility Anna Pearson holding the line.

This year, the Bruins entered the MPSF tournament as contenders, but no longer as the clear favorites. The field around them has grown stronger. Opponents have studied their playbook and weaknesses during early season matchups. Therefore, the target on their back is bigger than ever, and it’s up to veteran Bruins like Pearson to hold down the fort.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the Bruins don’t fold under pressure – they rise to the occasion. And though the 2025 team may not be a mirror of the undefeated champions before them, they have what it takes to write their own legacy.

However, glory is never certain.

Jacob Nguyen
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Loss in the finals

Despite finishing the regular season with one logged conference loss, UCLA suffered two additional defeats to USC and Stanford at neutral tournament sites, respectively.

Depending on how the tournament matchups fare, it’s likely that the Bruins will breeze past the semifinal match to face either the Trojans or the Cardinal in the finals.

The fact that an 18-4 record can still be considered a step down after last season’s undefeated campaign should be a privilege in and of itself. However, it may also show signs of a closing gap between UCLA and the rest of the pool.

Across their four losses, the Bruins suffered an average defeat by 4.5 goals.

Part of this outcome may lend itself to a loss in depth.

Both 2024 and 2025’s rosters are composed of four players with at least a season-total of 30 goals. However, last season had an additional seven scorers with at least 20 goals. This year’s team has only one individual of the latter – senior attacker Molly Renner.

Consequently, Bruins like Pearson and Mantellato have to bear greater offensive burdens.

On the other side of the pool, an eye glance at the stat sheet of sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele would seem to indicate a decline. The reigning ACWPC Player of the Year has given up 66 more goals than in 2024. Furthermore, her current .541 save percentage is a step down from last season’s .669 clip.

This isn’t to say that Steele has gotten worse. If anything, this is another sign that the disparity between UCLA and the rest of its foes has diminished.

And the precedent of this season’s losses is evidence of that.

Another MPSF title shouldn’t be ruled out. But it’ll take a much stronger collective effort to overcome the other titans of the league.