An identity is emerging for the former championship team.

No. 3 UCLA women’s water polo (2-0) will head 121 miles south to La Jolla this weekend to begin its first-round matchup at the Triton Invitational against Cal State Fullerton (5-1) on Friday. The Bruins will compete in a three-day tournament at UC San Diego that includes some of the top-ranked squads in the nation.

“Our goal is to learn from the video that we have this weekend (Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational). We’re going to break that down,” said interim co-head coach Jason Falitz. “There are a lot of mistakes being made, which is excellent. We can make the adjustments that need to be made, and our goal is to be even better next weekend (Triton Invitational).”

The Bruins fell in the tournament’s championship match last season to crosstown rival USC by three points, breaking their prior 32-match win streak.

UCLA enters the Triton Invitational as the No. 2 seed overall and is placed in Bracket B. The squad is set to compete with No. 11 Arizona State, No. 17 Michigan and Fullerton. The Bruins beat the Titans in their only meeting in program history back in February 2024.

Fullerton comes off the Titan Invitational at home, where it swept Whittier College and Azusa Pacific. Fullerton opened the day with a commanding 17-4 victory over Whittier before overcoming an early deficit to notch an 11-8 win against Azusa Pacific.

The depth of Fullerton’s roster has been on full display, going deep into its lineup in its last matchup. Utilities Kenzie Searle and Hannah Reekstin each scored three goals, while utility Chandler Burrell dished out three assists, with all three players leading the team with three points apiece.

But the Bruins have their own leaders.

Senior attacker Taylor Smith added four goals and an assist, finishing as the game’s top scorer with five points against Long Beach State. Redshirt freshman attacker Ana Pieper notched the first two goals of her collegiate career, while senior utility Anna Pearson and junior attacker Becca Melanson each added two scores to round out the multigoal contributors.

Junior goalkeeper Lauren Steele anchored the cage throughout the first three quarters against Long Beach State, recording 11 saves and limiting Long Beach to just two goals.

“We, with only 18 being able to play, (have) 30-plus girls on our roster, (and) it’s hard not having everyone here play with us each weekend, but we always say everybody matters just as much, which is very true,” Smith said. “We have girls in practice that are able to run plays from other teams and do it against us in practice, and that helps us out a lot.”

After their matchup with the Titans, the Bruins look to others in their bracket for the rest of the weekend.

UCLA holds a significant edge in its all-time series against Arizona State, posting a 32-2 record against the Sun Devils, winning all of the home games. The Bruins have won the last eight meetings and average 11 goals per game.

UCLA is also undefeated against Michigan, holding a 27-0 all-time record against the Wolverines with an average of 10 goals per game.

Falitz sees these early performances as an opportunity for UCLA to get a clearer picture of its identity as the season gets underway. He has helped the group start to find its identity as the season has begun.

“Jason just brings in this sense of confidence to our group and a calm feeling,” Pearson said. “Everyone feels it, and I can just see it in the way that this group is working together so well already, from the start.”