Saturday, February 15
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
USC
vs
Long Beach State
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: Bryce Dechert
No. 1 USC Women’s Water Polo Brings The Beach To Town For Saturday Home Clash
February 13, 2025 | Women's Water Polo
Trojans host No. 9 Long Beach State at Uytengsu Aquatics Center looking to stretch their undefeated start.
#1 USC (10-0) vs. #9 Long Beach State (5-5)
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 1 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record (since 1998): USC leads 41-0
Last Meeting: USC 17, LBSU 7 (Jan. 28, 2023)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
No. 1 USC has another home game on tap this week, with the Trojans (10-0) hosting Long Beach State (5-5) on Saturday (Feb. 15) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
RANKINGS
USC opened up 2025 ranked No. 3 in the national rankings. On Feb. 5, the Trojans moved up to rank No. 1 in the nation, and they stand tied in that spot in the latest national rankings (released Feb. 12).
LAST ACTION
USC played its first home games of the year last weekend, beating Biola 24-27 on Friday and then topping UC Irvine 19-15 to improve to 10-0 overall.
#1 USC 24, Biola 7
Twelve Trojans tallied goals and all four goalies checked in as USC went big in its home opener. Emily Ausmus had the high-water mark on the night with her career-high six goals, while Rachel Stryker and Ava Stryker scored hat tricks for the Trojan cause. USC peeled out to a 6-0 lead with Tilly Kearns scoring twice and Ausmus hitting a hat trick in that early opening rally. The first period was topped off by a fake and fire from Alma Yaacobi to take USC ahead 9-2 after eight minutes of action. The Trojans pinned up seven more goals from seven different scorers — including Jelena Sarac's first goal of the year — in the second to go up 16-5 at halftime. USC kept chugging away in the second half, with Sarac notching another for her first multiple-goal effort as a Trojan. Sally McCarthy stepped up for a 5-meter penalty score — earned by Sofia Umeda — to tally the senior's first goal of 2025 and take the Trojans ahead 20-6 at the close of the third. More firsts were achieved in the fourth, where sophomore Madison Haaland-Ford, who had been putting in work at set all game, punched up her first career goal to kick off the final frame. By the final buzzer, Ausmus had hit her career mark with six goals on the night, and USC had a 24-7 victory in the books.
NOTABLE:
- SO Madison Haaland-Ford scored her first career goal.
- RS SO Jelena Sarac recorded her first career multiple-goal game with two goals.
- SR Sally McCarthy scored her first goal of the season.
- With six goals, FR Emily Ausmus tied her career high.
#1 USC 19, #6 UC Irvine 15
Olympians Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns combined for 10 of USC's goals on the day to help the Trojans beat the visiting Anteaters. USC opened up the game scoring on four straight 6-on-5 opportunities, netting goals from Alma Yaacobi, Ava Knepper, Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus. UCI had gotten one back on a power play of its own, making it 3-2, only to see Ausmus hammer home a 6-on-5 feed from Meghan McAninch to make it 4-2 Trojans at 4:15. Jada Ward came up with a sweet save to snuff an Anteater counterattack, and then Emma Lawson sniped in a bar-in blast to take USC out ahead 5-2. Later, Tilly Kearns would issue back-to-back strikes after a UC Irvine score to get USC ahead 7-3 at the end of the first. The scoring pace evened up more in the second before Ausmus sizzled in a 5-meter penalty shot that was soon followed by a score out of set from Alma Yaacobi. That had USC on top 11-6 just before the final minute of the half. The teams traded goals in the remaining time, and it was a 12-7 USC lead for halftime. The Trojan offense was firing on all cylinders in the third, thanks in part to three more goals from Ausmus in that span. Sinia Plotz zipped in her second goal of the game to get USC a 15-7 advantage along the way, and later USC ripped off four straight scores en route to a 19-9 lead at the close of the third. In the fourth, however, the Anteaters found their scoring touch and paired that with some stingy defense that helped UC Irvine carve down that Trojan lead. UCI scored six in the final eight minutes of action while USC was unable to break through, although the Trojan lead was large enough going in to keep the Anteaters ay bay in a final 19-15 decision.
NOTABLE:
- With two goals, JR Sinia Plotz recorded her first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
- With their goals, SO Rachel Gazzaniga, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With five goals, Ausmus also has now registered multiple-goal efforts in all 10 USC games this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 10 games deep into 2025, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns with 37 and 36 goals, respectively. Next in line is Ava Stryker, with 27 to help lead a pack of seven Trojans with 10 or more goals to date. In all, 17 Trojans have scored at least one goal to date, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into the 10-0 start — all of whom have set career highs already this year. Junior Jada Ward has started nine games for the Trojans, and she hauled in a career-high 13 saves in USC's win over Hawai'i earlier this season. Overall, the goalie group averages 7.6 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up 9.2 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 196-92 so far, while holding teams scoreless in four different periods to date. Offensively, USC is averaging 19.6 goals per game.
ON REPEAT
For the second straight week, USC claimed both MPSF awards, notching another sweep with Tilly Kearns' first MPSF Player of the Week award of the season and Emily Ausmus' second MPSF Newcomer of the Week selection. The two Trojan Olympians were instrumental in top-ranked USC's 19-15 win over No. 6 UC Irvine last weekend, while also helping lift USC to a 24-7 win over Biola in the Trojans' home opener. Kearns scored five goals against the Anteaters after tallying two against the Eagles. Also against UCI, Kearns drew an exclusion and had a steal. In the win over Biola, she had three steals and an assist along with a drawn exclusion. Ausmus also scored five goals in USC's win over UC Irvine after hitting a career-high six goals vs. the Eagles. She also served up three assists and had three steals and a field block in the win over the Anteaters while going 5-of-6 shooting. Against Biola, she added two assists and two steals to her six goals on eight shots. Kearns and Ausmus have each scored in every game for USC this season, with Ausmus tallying multiple goals in all 10 games and Kearns doing so in all but one.
SWEEPS WEEK
USC landed a pair of Trojans on the MPSF's weekly honor roll for the first time this season following USC's run to the 2025 Triton Invitational championship. For their key roles in a powerful 4-0 run at the event that was topped with a title-winning victory over rival UCLA, Rachel Gazzaniga was named MPSF Player of the Week and Emily Ausmus is the MPSF Newcomer of the Week. Gazzaniga scored a career-high four goals — including a run of three straight goals during the second half — to help USC beat No. 1 UCLA 14-11 in the championship game at the Triton Invitational. She finished with nine goals at the event, having scored in all four games for the Trojans as USC also beat CMS 30-8 and No. 21 UC Davis 17-9 in group play and No. 5 Hawai'i 17-9 in the semifinals. Gazzaniga scored twice and had an assist, steal and block vs. CMS. Against UC Davis, she also scored twice and added an assist and steal along with two drawn exclusions. In the win over the Rainbow Wahine she had a goal, assist and steal. Gazzaniga also had three drawn exclusions vs. the Bruins, helping USC stay undefeated on the season at 8-0 after winning the Trojans' second Triton Invite title in the last three years. A freshman, Ausmus scored 12 goals to help USC win the Triton Invitational championship. She scored twice and had three assists in the title game against UCLA. She opened the event with five goals in a 30-8 USC win over CMS, then had a hat trick in a 17-9 win over UC Davis to wrap group play. In the semifinal vs. Hawai'i, Ausmus scored twice and had four assists and a steal to help USC to a 17-9 win over the Rainbow Wahine. Ausmus has scored multiple goals in all eight games for USC this season. Gazzaniga and Ausmus are the first Trojans to earn weekly honors from the conference this season, and this is the first set of such honors for both.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Almost half of USC's scoring was generated by just five Trojan freshmen and sophomores last year, led by All-Americans Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker with 49 goals apiece. That dynamic duo gained extra experience as teammates with Team USA in a gold-medal run at the recent Pan American Games alongside incoming freshman and 2024 Olympian Emily Ausmus. Along with Ausmus, who deferred her enrollment in 2023-24 to compete with Team USA in Paris, USC welcomes a total of five newcomers to the pool for this 2025 campaign. Also boasting international experience are true freshman Alma Yaacobi (Israel) and junior transfer Sinia Plotz (Germany). Southern California products Ava Knepper and Sofia Umeda are also tabbed as quick impact players for the Trojans in their first season ahead.
VETERAN VIPS
Two-time Olympian and 2024 silver medalist Tilly Kearns plunges back into action at USC, where she is one of a five-woman senior class setting up for their final season as Trojans. Laine Hourigan, Emma Lawson, Sally McCarthy and Isabel Zimmerman all bring veteran experience to the 2025 Trojan talent pool. Lawson and junior Maggie Johnson are USC's team captains this season, joined by Kearns, Zimmerman, junior Morgan Netherton and sophomore Gazzaniga on head coach Casey Moon's Leadership Council, which serves as a guiding force for the Trojans.
STAYING CENTERED
USC's center play is anchored by Tilly Kearns and Alma Yaacobi on the offensive end, and is balanced by the defensive savvy of Emily Ausmus and Rachel Gazzaniga as guards. Gazzaniga and Madison Haaland-Ford also add offensive options at the two-meter slot for the Trojans.
ATTACK MODE
USC's perimeter attack features a number of Trojan sharpshooters. Along with the more veteran talent of Morgan Netherton and Isabel Zimmerman, sophomores Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch have proven their worth on the perimeter, with further reinforcements coming in from newcomers Sinia Plotz, Ausmus and Kearns. Additional depth from the bench comes from Hannah Carver and Jelena Sarac, who scored their first goals as Trojans last season, along with another redshirt sophomore in Caitlin Cohen.
CAGE FIGHTERS
On the defensive end of the pool, USC also boasts a connected unit of goalies. Laine Hourigan and Jada Ward both have logged time in the cage the last two seasons. They're joined by two other Trojan goalies in redshirt freshmen Anna Reed and Lauren Schneider as USC's goalkeeping corps for 2025.
LAST SEASON
In 2024, USC went 18-9 overall in a season that saw the Trojans make a 20th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in Casey Moon's first season as full-time head coach for the Trojans. USC tied for second in MPSF regular-season play at 4-2 and finished fourth at the MPSF Tournament. At the NCAA tourney, the Trojans fell in the quarterfinals to Stanford. USC's 2024 team was led in scoring by freshmen Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker with 49 goals apiece. Both earned All-America honors along with seniors Alejandra Aznar and Julua Janov.
THE PLACE TO BE.
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world. USC's campus is driving distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California, the majestic mountains range of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling splendor of the Redwood and Sequoia national forests, and the mysterious Mojave Desert. •
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 1 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record (since 1998): USC leads 41-0
Last Meeting: USC 17, LBSU 7 (Jan. 28, 2023)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
No. 1 USC has another home game on tap this week, with the Trojans (10-0) hosting Long Beach State (5-5) on Saturday (Feb. 15) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
RANKINGS
USC opened up 2025 ranked No. 3 in the national rankings. On Feb. 5, the Trojans moved up to rank No. 1 in the nation, and they stand tied in that spot in the latest national rankings (released Feb. 12).
LAST ACTION
USC played its first home games of the year last weekend, beating Biola 24-27 on Friday and then topping UC Irvine 19-15 to improve to 10-0 overall.
#1 USC 24, Biola 7
Twelve Trojans tallied goals and all four goalies checked in as USC went big in its home opener. Emily Ausmus had the high-water mark on the night with her career-high six goals, while Rachel Stryker and Ava Stryker scored hat tricks for the Trojan cause. USC peeled out to a 6-0 lead with Tilly Kearns scoring twice and Ausmus hitting a hat trick in that early opening rally. The first period was topped off by a fake and fire from Alma Yaacobi to take USC ahead 9-2 after eight minutes of action. The Trojans pinned up seven more goals from seven different scorers — including Jelena Sarac's first goal of the year — in the second to go up 16-5 at halftime. USC kept chugging away in the second half, with Sarac notching another for her first multiple-goal effort as a Trojan. Sally McCarthy stepped up for a 5-meter penalty score — earned by Sofia Umeda — to tally the senior's first goal of 2025 and take the Trojans ahead 20-6 at the close of the third. More firsts were achieved in the fourth, where sophomore Madison Haaland-Ford, who had been putting in work at set all game, punched up her first career goal to kick off the final frame. By the final buzzer, Ausmus had hit her career mark with six goals on the night, and USC had a 24-7 victory in the books.
NOTABLE:
- SO Madison Haaland-Ford scored her first career goal.
- RS SO Jelena Sarac recorded her first career multiple-goal game with two goals.
- SR Sally McCarthy scored her first goal of the season.
- With six goals, FR Emily Ausmus tied her career high.
#1 USC 19, #6 UC Irvine 15
Olympians Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns combined for 10 of USC's goals on the day to help the Trojans beat the visiting Anteaters. USC opened up the game scoring on four straight 6-on-5 opportunities, netting goals from Alma Yaacobi, Ava Knepper, Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus. UCI had gotten one back on a power play of its own, making it 3-2, only to see Ausmus hammer home a 6-on-5 feed from Meghan McAninch to make it 4-2 Trojans at 4:15. Jada Ward came up with a sweet save to snuff an Anteater counterattack, and then Emma Lawson sniped in a bar-in blast to take USC out ahead 5-2. Later, Tilly Kearns would issue back-to-back strikes after a UC Irvine score to get USC ahead 7-3 at the end of the first. The scoring pace evened up more in the second before Ausmus sizzled in a 5-meter penalty shot that was soon followed by a score out of set from Alma Yaacobi. That had USC on top 11-6 just before the final minute of the half. The teams traded goals in the remaining time, and it was a 12-7 USC lead for halftime. The Trojan offense was firing on all cylinders in the third, thanks in part to three more goals from Ausmus in that span. Sinia Plotz zipped in her second goal of the game to get USC a 15-7 advantage along the way, and later USC ripped off four straight scores en route to a 19-9 lead at the close of the third. In the fourth, however, the Anteaters found their scoring touch and paired that with some stingy defense that helped UC Irvine carve down that Trojan lead. UCI scored six in the final eight minutes of action while USC was unable to break through, although the Trojan lead was large enough going in to keep the Anteaters ay bay in a final 19-15 decision.
NOTABLE:
- With two goals, JR Sinia Plotz recorded her first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
- With their goals, SO Rachel Gazzaniga, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With five goals, Ausmus also has now registered multiple-goal efforts in all 10 USC games this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 10 games deep into 2025, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns with 37 and 36 goals, respectively. Next in line is Ava Stryker, with 27 to help lead a pack of seven Trojans with 10 or more goals to date. In all, 17 Trojans have scored at least one goal to date, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into the 10-0 start — all of whom have set career highs already this year. Junior Jada Ward has started nine games for the Trojans, and she hauled in a career-high 13 saves in USC's win over Hawai'i earlier this season. Overall, the goalie group averages 7.6 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up 9.2 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 196-92 so far, while holding teams scoreless in four different periods to date. Offensively, USC is averaging 19.6 goals per game.
ON REPEAT
For the second straight week, USC claimed both MPSF awards, notching another sweep with Tilly Kearns' first MPSF Player of the Week award of the season and Emily Ausmus' second MPSF Newcomer of the Week selection. The two Trojan Olympians were instrumental in top-ranked USC's 19-15 win over No. 6 UC Irvine last weekend, while also helping lift USC to a 24-7 win over Biola in the Trojans' home opener. Kearns scored five goals against the Anteaters after tallying two against the Eagles. Also against UCI, Kearns drew an exclusion and had a steal. In the win over Biola, she had three steals and an assist along with a drawn exclusion. Ausmus also scored five goals in USC's win over UC Irvine after hitting a career-high six goals vs. the Eagles. She also served up three assists and had three steals and a field block in the win over the Anteaters while going 5-of-6 shooting. Against Biola, she added two assists and two steals to her six goals on eight shots. Kearns and Ausmus have each scored in every game for USC this season, with Ausmus tallying multiple goals in all 10 games and Kearns doing so in all but one.
SWEEPS WEEK
USC landed a pair of Trojans on the MPSF's weekly honor roll for the first time this season following USC's run to the 2025 Triton Invitational championship. For their key roles in a powerful 4-0 run at the event that was topped with a title-winning victory over rival UCLA, Rachel Gazzaniga was named MPSF Player of the Week and Emily Ausmus is the MPSF Newcomer of the Week. Gazzaniga scored a career-high four goals — including a run of three straight goals during the second half — to help USC beat No. 1 UCLA 14-11 in the championship game at the Triton Invitational. She finished with nine goals at the event, having scored in all four games for the Trojans as USC also beat CMS 30-8 and No. 21 UC Davis 17-9 in group play and No. 5 Hawai'i 17-9 in the semifinals. Gazzaniga scored twice and had an assist, steal and block vs. CMS. Against UC Davis, she also scored twice and added an assist and steal along with two drawn exclusions. In the win over the Rainbow Wahine she had a goal, assist and steal. Gazzaniga also had three drawn exclusions vs. the Bruins, helping USC stay undefeated on the season at 8-0 after winning the Trojans' second Triton Invite title in the last three years. A freshman, Ausmus scored 12 goals to help USC win the Triton Invitational championship. She scored twice and had three assists in the title game against UCLA. She opened the event with five goals in a 30-8 USC win over CMS, then had a hat trick in a 17-9 win over UC Davis to wrap group play. In the semifinal vs. Hawai'i, Ausmus scored twice and had four assists and a steal to help USC to a 17-9 win over the Rainbow Wahine. Ausmus has scored multiple goals in all eight games for USC this season. Gazzaniga and Ausmus are the first Trojans to earn weekly honors from the conference this season, and this is the first set of such honors for both.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Almost half of USC's scoring was generated by just five Trojan freshmen and sophomores last year, led by All-Americans Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker with 49 goals apiece. That dynamic duo gained extra experience as teammates with Team USA in a gold-medal run at the recent Pan American Games alongside incoming freshman and 2024 Olympian Emily Ausmus. Along with Ausmus, who deferred her enrollment in 2023-24 to compete with Team USA in Paris, USC welcomes a total of five newcomers to the pool for this 2025 campaign. Also boasting international experience are true freshman Alma Yaacobi (Israel) and junior transfer Sinia Plotz (Germany). Southern California products Ava Knepper and Sofia Umeda are also tabbed as quick impact players for the Trojans in their first season ahead.
VETERAN VIPS
Two-time Olympian and 2024 silver medalist Tilly Kearns plunges back into action at USC, where she is one of a five-woman senior class setting up for their final season as Trojans. Laine Hourigan, Emma Lawson, Sally McCarthy and Isabel Zimmerman all bring veteran experience to the 2025 Trojan talent pool. Lawson and junior Maggie Johnson are USC's team captains this season, joined by Kearns, Zimmerman, junior Morgan Netherton and sophomore Gazzaniga on head coach Casey Moon's Leadership Council, which serves as a guiding force for the Trojans.
STAYING CENTERED
USC's center play is anchored by Tilly Kearns and Alma Yaacobi on the offensive end, and is balanced by the defensive savvy of Emily Ausmus and Rachel Gazzaniga as guards. Gazzaniga and Madison Haaland-Ford also add offensive options at the two-meter slot for the Trojans.
ATTACK MODE
USC's perimeter attack features a number of Trojan sharpshooters. Along with the more veteran talent of Morgan Netherton and Isabel Zimmerman, sophomores Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch have proven their worth on the perimeter, with further reinforcements coming in from newcomers Sinia Plotz, Ausmus and Kearns. Additional depth from the bench comes from Hannah Carver and Jelena Sarac, who scored their first goals as Trojans last season, along with another redshirt sophomore in Caitlin Cohen.
CAGE FIGHTERS
On the defensive end of the pool, USC also boasts a connected unit of goalies. Laine Hourigan and Jada Ward both have logged time in the cage the last two seasons. They're joined by two other Trojan goalies in redshirt freshmen Anna Reed and Lauren Schneider as USC's goalkeeping corps for 2025.
LAST SEASON
In 2024, USC went 18-9 overall in a season that saw the Trojans make a 20th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in Casey Moon's first season as full-time head coach for the Trojans. USC tied for second in MPSF regular-season play at 4-2 and finished fourth at the MPSF Tournament. At the NCAA tourney, the Trojans fell in the quarterfinals to Stanford. USC's 2024 team was led in scoring by freshmen Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker with 49 goals apiece. Both earned All-America honors along with seniors Alejandra Aznar and Julua Janov.
THE PLACE TO BE.
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world. USC's campus is driving distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California, the majestic mountains range of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling splendor of the Redwood and Sequoia national forests, and the mysterious Mojave Desert. •
USC Water Polo's Emily Ausmus | Trojans Live 3.24.25
Monday, March 24
Women's Water Polo - Stanford 8, USC 3: Highlights (5/10/24)
Friday, May 10
Julia Janov - 2024 NCAA Women's Water Polo Banquet speech
Thursday, May 09
Women's Water Polo - Stanford 12, USC 11: Highlights (4/28/24)
Sunday, April 28
