Fresno State Athletics
Friday, May 12
Stockton, CA
4:00 p.m. PT
Fresno State
vs
No. 2 USC
Photo by: Kayla Barber
'Dogs make return to NCAA Water Polo Championship
5/11/2023 11:45:00 AM | Water Polo
2023 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship
No. 9 Fresno State (18-8, 7-0 GCC) vs. No. 2 USC (26-2, 6-0 MPSF)
Quarterfinal Round - Friday, May 12, 2023 - 4 P.M. PT - Stockton, Calif. Chris Kjeldsen Pool at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center
Live Stats: TheFosh
Stream: ncaa.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateWP
Tickets: Purchase Here
Series History: USC leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Then- No.2 USC def. Fresno State 15-9 at the quarterfinal round of the 2022 Championship in Ann Arbor, MI
THE BRACKET (link)
Opening round (May 10) – Biola 10, LIU 8
First round (May 12)
No. 1 Stanford vs. Biola, 12 p.m. PT
No. 4 UCLA vs. UC Irvine, 2 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC vs. Fresno State, 4 p.m. PT
No. 3 Cal vs. Princeton, 6 p.m. PT
Semifinals (May 13)
5 and 7 p.m. PT
Championship (May 14)
7 p.m. PT
BULLDOG BONES
NCAA TOURNAMENT FLASHBACK
A LOOK AT GCC CONFERENCE LEADERS
WHAT COULD BE AHEAD
SCOUTING USC
"Fresno State Athletics - Elevate: Imagine the Possibilities"- The Elevate Campaign provides a visionary roadmap to enhance and construct a series of athletic facilities to help further position Fresno State Athletics for sustained competitive success nationally, while also further serving as a source of pride and economic growth throughout California's Central Valley. For more information, visit GoBulldogs.com/elevate or call the Bulldog Foundation office at 559-278-7160.
No. 9 Fresno State (18-8, 7-0 GCC) vs. No. 2 USC (26-2, 6-0 MPSF)
Quarterfinal Round - Friday, May 12, 2023 - 4 P.M. PT - Stockton, Calif. Chris Kjeldsen Pool at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center
Live Stats: TheFosh
Stream: ncaa.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateWP
Tickets: Purchase Here
Series History: USC leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Then- No.2 USC def. Fresno State 15-9 at the quarterfinal round of the 2022 Championship in Ann Arbor, MI
THE BRACKET (link)
Opening round (May 10) – Biola 10, LIU 8
First round (May 12)
No. 1 Stanford vs. Biola, 12 p.m. PT
No. 4 UCLA vs. UC Irvine, 2 p.m. PT
No. 2 USC vs. Fresno State, 4 p.m. PT
No. 3 Cal vs. Princeton, 6 p.m. PT
Semifinals (May 13)
5 and 7 p.m. PT
Championship (May 14)
7 p.m. PT
BULLDOG BONES
- Fresno State received an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament by winning the Golden Coast Conference tournament championship over Pacific in San Diego, Calif. on April 30.
- Fresno State has made the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons
- Bulldogs are coming off their third consecutive Golden Coast Conference Tournament title win, and third-straight regular season conference title.
- Fresno State has had two full seasons going undefeated in conference play. Its last GCC loss was on Mar. 27, 2021.
- Fresno State has not had a double-digit losing season since 2019
- With a win on Friday, Fresno State could tie the program's single-season win mark with 19 wins.
- Fresno State head coach Natalie Benson was named the GCC Coach of the Year on May 9. Benson has been named the conference's coach of the year for three-straight seasons.
- The Bulldogs earned the top honors by the conference as sophomore Brooke Ochoa was named the Player of the Year and freshman Hailey Andress was named the Newcomer of the Year.
- Andress is the first Bulldog to earn four GCC All-Conference honors in one season, (Newcomer of the Year, All-Tournament Team, GCC All-Freshman Team, Second-Team All-GCC.) Former Bulldog Fanni Muzany earned three GCC All-Conference honors in 2022.
NCAA TOURNAMENT FLASHBACK
- Fresno State has made two prior trips to the NCAA Championship event, falling in the quarterfinal round each year. In 2021, the Bulldogs defeated Cal Lutheran in the play-in game but fell to then-No. 2 Stanford in the quarterfinal. In 2022, the Bulldogs fell to then-No. 2 USC in the quarterfinal.
- Jillian Schultz is the only Bulldog on the current roster to have scored a goal in the Bulldogs' last visit to the NCAA tournament.
- Paula Nieto Jasny recorded 10 saves against USC in their last match in 2022 - the NCAA quarterfinals.
- Only three teams (USC, UCLA and Stanford) have ever won the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship.
A LOOK AT GCC CONFERENCE LEADERS
- Cynthia Rosa is ranked second in the GCC with the most sprints won (70-3 overall record). Her .959 sprint win percentage leads the conference.
- Rosa has not lost a sprint since Mar. 4, 2023.
- Brooke Ochoa leads the GCC with the most steals per game (26), averaging 1.6 steals per game
- Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny is ranked third in the GCC with 204 saves for a .515 save percentage
- Brooke Ochoa, Hailey Andress, and Jillian Schultz earned All-GCC Tournament Team honors. Ochoa was named the Tournament MVP.
WHAT COULD BE AHEAD
- With a win over the USC Trojans on Friday, the Bulldogs advance to the semifinals to face either Cal or Princeton (Game 4).
- It would be the first time in program history that Fresno State advances to the NCAA semifinals.
SCOUTING USC
- The Trojans are 26-2 overall and 6-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Conference
- USC will make its 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament
- Trojan's are looking for their eighth National Championship title
- Bulldogs will face former teammate Fanni Muzsnay, entering her first season as a Trojan
- Since 2010 every women's NCAA title has been won by either USC or Stanford
- USC has three players named All-MPSF First-Team (Tilly Kearns, Bayley Weber, and Paige Hauschild.)
"Fresno State Athletics - Elevate: Imagine the Possibilities"- The Elevate Campaign provides a visionary roadmap to enhance and construct a series of athletic facilities to help further position Fresno State Athletics for sustained competitive success nationally, while also further serving as a source of pride and economic growth throughout California's Central Valley. For more information, visit GoBulldogs.com/elevate or call the Bulldog Foundation office at 559-278-7160.
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Water Polo
Utility
/ Water Polo
Attacker
/ Water Polo
Utility
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