No. 3 seed USC women’s water polo were crowned national champions on Sunday after defeating No. 4 seed Cal 10-9 at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, California.
The title marks the eighth in program history and the first since 2021. It was also the first national championship under head coach Casey Moon, who is in her second season with USC.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Reed recorded a career-high 14 saves and three steals. This was just the fourth time this season Cal’s scoring total remained in the single digits.
Sophomore attacker Emily Ausmus was named the NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player after logging 15 goals, six assists and 21 points throughout the entire tournament. Ausmus, Reed and junior attacker Ava Stryker earned NCAA All-Tournament First Team selections, and junior center Rachel Gazzaniga earned NCAA All-Tournament Second Team honors.
To reach the title game, USC went head-to-head with crosstown rivals, No. 2 seed UCLA on Saturday. Despite trailing the Bruins 9-8 going into the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored three goals to win 11-10 and advance to the national championship.
Earlier in the season, USC lost twice to UCLA at neutral sites in February. On April 4, the Trojans defeated the Bruins 13-11 in the Battle of LA.
Most of USC’s players, including all four All-Tournament selections, have remaining NCAA eligibility and could return to the Trojans next season. USC had just four seniors on the roster this season.
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