No. 3 Women’s Water Polo Takes Down No. 4 California To Finish Third At BKI

Sunday, February 15

Irvine, Calif.

12:00 p.m.

USC

11-2

California

8-2

Southern California

California

Photo by: Nicole Hourigan

No. 3 Women’s Water Polo Takes Down No. 4 California To Finish Third At BKI

February 15, 2026 | Women's Water Polo

Box Score

IRVINE, Calif. - The Women of Troy looked to bounce back on Sunday afternoon when they took on No. 4 California in the third place game of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.

Powered by four goals from Emily Ausmus and hat tricks from Ava Stryker and Natalia Blazevic, the USC women's water polo team took down the Golden Bears 15-12.

#3 USC 15, #4 Cal 12
The Women of Troy squared off with California in a high-scoring matchup that turned into a strong finish for USC.

USC struck first on the power play as Natalia Blazevic found the back of the cage. Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus added early goals to help the Trojans settle in, and Meghan McAninch converted on a six-on-five opportunity as USC built momentum in the opening frame.

Morgan Netherton connected on the power play in the second quarter, and Alma Yaacobi added a tally to stretch the lead. Ausmus continued to make plays on both ends, scoring and creating turnovers as USC carried control into halftime.

Out of the break, the Trojans kept building. McAninch and Sinia Plotz each added a goal to the stat sheet, and Ausmus delivered on the power play to maintain separation. California answered with a few goals of its own, but USC held the advantage heading into the fourth.

California made a late push in the final frame minutes, cutting the lead with back-to-back power play finishes. Each time, however, USC responded. Ausmus and Blazevic came up with key fourth-quarter goals, and Stryker sealed it on a six-on-five finish as the Women of Troy closed out the 15-12 win.

Notables

Emily Ausmus had a stellar performance with four goals and season highs of five steals, three drawn exclusions and two blocks.
Ava Stryker added two field blocks and three goals to the stat sheet.
Rachel Gazzaniga posted a career-high four assists and tacked on four drawn exclusions.
Natalia Blazevic matched her career high with three goals in the contest.
No. 4 California is the highest-ranked opponent the Trojans have defeated this season.

Scoring:
Emily Ausmus (4), Ava Stryker (3), Natalia Blazevic (3), Meghan McAninch (2), Sinia Plotz (1), Morgan Netherton (1), Alma Yaacobi (1)

Saves:
Anna Reed (7)

Up Next:
The Trojans will be back on the road once again to take on San Jose State to begin MPSF play on Saturday with the game set for 1:00 p.m.