Saturday, March 1
Claremont, CA
11:30 a.m.
USC
at
Pomona-Pitzer
Players Mentioned
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C
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 2 USC Women’s Water Polo To Pull Double Duty At Convergence Tournament
February 26, 2025 | Women's Water Polo
Trojans take on host Pomona-Pitzer along with No. 21 Marist on Saturday in Claremont.
THIS WEEK
No. 2 USC heads to Claremont, Calif., this weekend for a doubleheader day of action at the Convergence Tournament on Saturday (March 1). The Trojans (14-1) will first face host Pomona-Pitzer at 11:30 a.m. before taking on No. 21 Marist at 12:45 p.m. at Haldeman Pool.
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 stood tied in that spot for the next two weeks before moving to No. 2 in the nation in the latest set of rankings (released Feb. 26).
LAST ACTION
USC finished in second place at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, posting three well-balanced wins to reach the title match, where the Trojans stalled out against fellow No. 1 Stanford to take their first loss of the year.
GROUP PLAY: #1 USC 30, Biola 5
USC gave up an early goal to Biola on a power play before pinning up 10 straight scores to take control. Tilly Kearns and Sinia Plotz both plugging in a pair of goals during that Trojan rally to build an 11-1 advantage. Emily Ausmus poured out three goal in the second period of play to keep things clicking for USC, while goalie Anna Reed put a stop to an Eagle 5-meter penalty attempt as USC climbed out ahead 17-2 by halftime. Ausmus got to six goals on the day with her work in the third, while fellow freshman Sofia Umeda's push to match her own career high started with her two tallies in the third. Meghan McAninch punched in her second of the game in that frame, and USC was up 25-3 entering the final period of play. Umeda got her her career mark with two goals in the fourth, and three new USC scorers helped the Trojans to a season-high 15 scorers with Hannah Carver, Madison Haaland-Ford and Jelena Sarac's goals to top off a 30-5 USC win in Irvine.
GROUP PLAY: #1 USC 16, #8 Long Beach State 7
Long Beach State scored early, but USC turned a one-goal game into a 5-2 lead after eight minutes of play as Rachel Gazzaniga and Maggie Johnson wrapped goals around a Jada Ward save. Scoring slowed in the second, but USC gripped a 6-3 advantage at halftime. As the fog began to clear at the venue, USC found its groove. The Beach would not score for the entirety of the third quarter while USC piled up six goals to power into a 12-3 lead entering the fourth. Tilly Kearns served up two goals in that push to move into sole possession of the No. 11 all-time scoring slot at USC, and her Trojans stayed the course in the fourth with a balanced effort to lock in a 15-7 final that was topped off by a field block from Sally McCarthy.
SEMIFINAL: #1 USC 14, #5 Hawai'i 7
Emily Ausmus scored USC's first and fourth goals in the opening period while Ava Stryker and Tilly Kearns each provided fine finishes to help USC lead things 4-1 eight minutes in. In the second period, it was Alma Yaacobi who had the bookends on USC's scoring with two powerful strikes out of set. Meghan McAninch and Rachel Gazzaniga delivered as well, while Ward remained stalwart in the cage to help USC hold an 8-4 lead at halftime. Again, USC shut out its opponent in the third, rendering the Rainbow Wahine scoreless in shutting down back-to-back Hawai'i power plays. Stryker struck twice, and McAninch delivered her second, and USC was up 11-4 for the final frame. There, Ward kept collecting stops to get to 11 once again. Ausmus and Yaacobi each hit hat tricks, and Maggie Johnson sizzled in USC's final score in the 14-7 win.
CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 Stanford 10, #1 USC 6
The Cardinal got out to a 4-0 advantage in the first period before USC broke through in the second with back-to-back goals from Alma Yaacobi and Meghan McAninch. Stanford would move out ahead 6-2 by halftime and got out to a 9-3 lead entering the fourth and final frame. There, USC got some goals, but not enough to overcome its deficit in taking a 10-6 loss to finish second at the BKI.
NOTABLE:
- With the win over Biola, USC has now posted two 30-goal games this season — last achieved in 2022.
- USC's 15 different scorers vs. Biola marked a new season high — previous best was 12.
- With goals in all four games at the BKI, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With her two goals vs. Long Beach State, SR Tilly Kearns moved up to rank No. 11 all-time in career scoring at USC with 205 goals as a Trojan.
- With six goals vs. Long Beach State, Ausmus tied her career high.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 15 games deep into 2025, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns with 52 and 45 goals, respectively. Next in line is Ava Stryker, with 39 to help lead a pack of six Trojans with 20 or more goals to date. In all, 17 Trojans have scored at least one goal in 2025, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into USC's 14-1 start — all of whom have set career highs already this year. Junior Jada Ward has started 14 games for the Trojans, and she hauled in a career-high 13 saves in USC's win over Hawai'i earlier this season along with back-to-back 11-save outings at the BKI. Overall, the goalie group averages 7.7 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up 8.7 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 277-131 so far, while holding teams scoreless in six different periods to date. Offensively, USC is averaging 18.5 goals per game.
ON REPEAT
In back-to-back weeks, 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 on Feb. 10. The two Trojan Olympians were instrumental in top-ranked USC's 19-15 win over No. 6 UC Irvine, 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. •
No. 2 USC heads to Claremont, Calif., this weekend for a doubleheader day of action at the Convergence Tournament on Saturday (March 1). The Trojans (14-1) will first face host Pomona-Pitzer at 11:30 a.m. before taking on No. 21 Marist at 12:45 p.m. at Haldeman Pool.
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 stood tied in that spot for the next two weeks before moving to No. 2 in the nation in the latest set of rankings (released Feb. 26).
LAST ACTION
USC finished in second place at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, posting three well-balanced wins to reach the title match, where the Trojans stalled out against fellow No. 1 Stanford to take their first loss of the year.
GROUP PLAY: #1 USC 30, Biola 5
USC gave up an early goal to Biola on a power play before pinning up 10 straight scores to take control. Tilly Kearns and Sinia Plotz both plugging in a pair of goals during that Trojan rally to build an 11-1 advantage. Emily Ausmus poured out three goal in the second period of play to keep things clicking for USC, while goalie Anna Reed put a stop to an Eagle 5-meter penalty attempt as USC climbed out ahead 17-2 by halftime. Ausmus got to six goals on the day with her work in the third, while fellow freshman Sofia Umeda's push to match her own career high started with her two tallies in the third. Meghan McAninch punched in her second of the game in that frame, and USC was up 25-3 entering the final period of play. Umeda got her her career mark with two goals in the fourth, and three new USC scorers helped the Trojans to a season-high 15 scorers with Hannah Carver, Madison Haaland-Ford and Jelena Sarac's goals to top off a 30-5 USC win in Irvine.
GROUP PLAY: #1 USC 16, #8 Long Beach State 7
Long Beach State scored early, but USC turned a one-goal game into a 5-2 lead after eight minutes of play as Rachel Gazzaniga and Maggie Johnson wrapped goals around a Jada Ward save. Scoring slowed in the second, but USC gripped a 6-3 advantage at halftime. As the fog began to clear at the venue, USC found its groove. The Beach would not score for the entirety of the third quarter while USC piled up six goals to power into a 12-3 lead entering the fourth. Tilly Kearns served up two goals in that push to move into sole possession of the No. 11 all-time scoring slot at USC, and her Trojans stayed the course in the fourth with a balanced effort to lock in a 15-7 final that was topped off by a field block from Sally McCarthy.
SEMIFINAL: #1 USC 14, #5 Hawai'i 7
Emily Ausmus scored USC's first and fourth goals in the opening period while Ava Stryker and Tilly Kearns each provided fine finishes to help USC lead things 4-1 eight minutes in. In the second period, it was Alma Yaacobi who had the bookends on USC's scoring with two powerful strikes out of set. Meghan McAninch and Rachel Gazzaniga delivered as well, while Ward remained stalwart in the cage to help USC hold an 8-4 lead at halftime. Again, USC shut out its opponent in the third, rendering the Rainbow Wahine scoreless in shutting down back-to-back Hawai'i power plays. Stryker struck twice, and McAninch delivered her second, and USC was up 11-4 for the final frame. There, Ward kept collecting stops to get to 11 once again. Ausmus and Yaacobi each hit hat tricks, and Maggie Johnson sizzled in USC's final score in the 14-7 win.
CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 Stanford 10, #1 USC 6
The Cardinal got out to a 4-0 advantage in the first period before USC broke through in the second with back-to-back goals from Alma Yaacobi and Meghan McAninch. Stanford would move out ahead 6-2 by halftime and got out to a 9-3 lead entering the fourth and final frame. There, USC got some goals, but not enough to overcome its deficit in taking a 10-6 loss to finish second at the BKI.
NOTABLE:
- With the win over Biola, USC has now posted two 30-goal games this season — last achieved in 2022.
- USC's 15 different scorers vs. Biola marked a new season high — previous best was 12.
- With goals in all four games at the BKI, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With her two goals vs. Long Beach State, SR Tilly Kearns moved up to rank No. 11 all-time in career scoring at USC with 205 goals as a Trojan.
- With six goals vs. Long Beach State, Ausmus tied her career high.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 15 games deep into 2025, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns with 52 and 45 goals, respectively. Next in line is Ava Stryker, with 39 to help lead a pack of six Trojans with 20 or more goals to date. In all, 17 Trojans have scored at least one goal in 2025, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into USC's 14-1 start — all of whom have set career highs already this year. Junior Jada Ward has started 14 games for the Trojans, and she hauled in a career-high 13 saves in USC's win over Hawai'i earlier this season along with back-to-back 11-save outings at the BKI. Overall, the goalie group averages 7.7 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up 8.7 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 277-131 so far, while holding teams scoreless in six different periods to date. Offensively, USC is averaging 18.5 goals per game.
ON REPEAT
In back-to-back weeks, 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 on Feb. 10. The two Trojan Olympians were instrumental in top-ranked USC's 19-15 win over No. 6 UC Irvine, 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
