Saturday, February 24
Newport Beach, Calif.
9:15 AM
USC
6-3
7
vs
12
Stanford
9-2
1
2
3
4
OT
F
Southern California
4
2
0
1
0
7
Stanford
3
4
3
2
0
12
Team Stats
UCI
USC
Shots
29
30
Goals
9
12
Assists
6
11
Points
15
23
Exclusions
10
14
Steals
4
9
Sprints
2
2
1
Rachel Gazzaniga
6:43
Ava Stryker
6:17
Airian Grisham
5:49
Ava Stryker
3:14
Kennedy East
1:54
Ava Stryker
0:27
2
Brooke Hourigan
7:13
Gracie Helberg
4:01
Julia Janov
0:28
3
Madi O'Hara
6:53
Brooke Hourigan
6:22
Hannah Meyer
5:10
Alejandra Aznar
4:37
Alejandra Aznar
2:41
Brooke Hourigan
1:24
4
Julia Janov
7:35
Gracie Helberg
4:59
Kennedy East
4:15
Ava Stryker
2:42
Julia Janov
1:53
Ava Stryker
1:01
Game Leaders
Shots
8
Goals
5
Assists
3
Points
8
Shots
8
Goals
3
Assists
1
Points
4
Shots
5
Goals
2
Assists
2
Points
4
Shots
3
Goals
0
Assists
1
Points
1
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water PoloATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water PoloATT
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water PoloATT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: Nicole Hourigan
No. 5 USC Women’s Water Polo Will Fight For Fifth At Barbara Kalbus Invite
February 24, 2024 | Women's Water Polo
Trojans get a Saturday split, falling to No. 4 Stanford and beating No. 10 UC Irvine in Newport Beach.
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — The No. 5 USC women's water polo team came up with a split in Saturday's action at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. The Trojans took a 12-7 loss to No. 4 Stanford and then bounced back with a 12-9 win over No. 10 UC Irvine today at Corona del Mar High School. Freshman Ava Stryker scored six goals on the day to lead USC's offensive effort, as the Trojans move to 7-3 overall on the year.
In the morning matchup with the Cardinal, USC made the first moves and built out two-goal leads in the first frame with Ava Stryker, Morgan Netherton, Julia Janov and Hannah Meyer punching up goals to help the Trojans lead it 4-2 until Stanford got one back before the end of the first. Netherton struck again on a bar-in blast in the second to make it 5-3, and then Rachel Gazzaniga followed a Stanford score to lift USC ahead 6-4. With exclusions mounting on the Trojans, the Cardinal crawled back and would lead it 7-6 at halftime. Stanford would clamp down in the second half, though, shutting out USC in the third frame while scoring three, and then only Isabel Zimmerman would break through for USC in the fourth while Stanford moved on to claim a 12-7 final and steal the ticket to the semifinals.
In the afternoon's meeting with UC Irvine, USC's Ava Stryker had a hat trick in place by the close of the first period as USC led it 4-2 early on. The Anteaters closed in and were within one at halftime, 5-4, before scoring back-to-back goals to take its first lead during the third. USC responded with a three-goal outburst, with Hannah Meyer lighting the fuse and Alejandra Aznar knocking in two to make it 8-6. UCI scored on a 6-on-5 before the end of the frame, and it was 8-7 USC entering the fourth. In that stretch, the referees whistled fourth penalty shots, with UCI given its third and fourth looks of the game from 5-meters. The game was tied up 9-9 with the Anteaters' third penalty make of the game, only to see USC net one from Stryker before a slam from Janov and a 6-on-5 finish from Stryker to lift USC ahead 12-9 with 1:05 to go. USC goalie Carolyne Stern put a stop to UCI's final 5-meter penalty try, and the Trojans rounded out their sixth win of the season.
NEXT:
USC wraps the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in the fifth-place game tomorrow (Feb. 25) against No. 3 Fresno State at 10:15 a.m. at Corona del Mar High School.
NOTABLE:
- USC SR goalie Carolyne Stern now ranks No. 5 all-time in career saves at USC.
- With two more goals today, FR Rachel Gazzaniga leads USC in having scored in nine games this season
- FR Ava Stryker now leads USC in scoring with 20 goals this season.
- Stryker's five goals vs. UC Irvine is the second most in a game by a Trojan this season.
BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL
#4 Stanford 12, #5 USC 7
Feb. 24, 2024 | Corona del Mar HS (Newport Beach, Calif.)
USC 4 - 2 - 0 - 1 = 7
STAN 3 - 4 - 3 - 2 = 12
SCORING:
USC — Morgan Netherton 2, Ava Stryker, Isabel Zimmerman, Julia Janov, Hannah Meyer, Rachel Gazzaniga.
STAN — Sophia Sanders 4, Sophie Wallace 4, Christina Hicks, Maggie Hawkins, Alissa Pascual, Avery Montiel.
SAVES: Carolyne Stern (USC) 6, Maya Avital (STAN) 10.
#5 USC 12, #10 UC Irvine 9
Feb. 24, 2024 | Corona del Mar HS (Newport Beach, Calif.)
USC 4 - 1 - 3 - 4 = 12
UCI 2 - 2 - 3 - 2 = 9
SCORING:
USC — Ava Stryker 5, Julia Janov 3, Alejandra Aznar 2, Rachel Gazzaniga, Hannah Meyer.
UCI — Brooke Hourigan 3, Kennedy East 2, Gracie Helberg 2, Airian Grisham, Madi O'Hara.
SAVES: Carolyne Stern (USC) 9, Faith Tedesco (UCI) 9.
In the morning matchup with the Cardinal, USC made the first moves and built out two-goal leads in the first frame with Ava Stryker, Morgan Netherton, Julia Janov and Hannah Meyer punching up goals to help the Trojans lead it 4-2 until Stanford got one back before the end of the first. Netherton struck again on a bar-in blast in the second to make it 5-3, and then Rachel Gazzaniga followed a Stanford score to lift USC ahead 6-4. With exclusions mounting on the Trojans, the Cardinal crawled back and would lead it 7-6 at halftime. Stanford would clamp down in the second half, though, shutting out USC in the third frame while scoring three, and then only Isabel Zimmerman would break through for USC in the fourth while Stanford moved on to claim a 12-7 final and steal the ticket to the semifinals.
In the afternoon's meeting with UC Irvine, USC's Ava Stryker had a hat trick in place by the close of the first period as USC led it 4-2 early on. The Anteaters closed in and were within one at halftime, 5-4, before scoring back-to-back goals to take its first lead during the third. USC responded with a three-goal outburst, with Hannah Meyer lighting the fuse and Alejandra Aznar knocking in two to make it 8-6. UCI scored on a 6-on-5 before the end of the frame, and it was 8-7 USC entering the fourth. In that stretch, the referees whistled fourth penalty shots, with UCI given its third and fourth looks of the game from 5-meters. The game was tied up 9-9 with the Anteaters' third penalty make of the game, only to see USC net one from Stryker before a slam from Janov and a 6-on-5 finish from Stryker to lift USC ahead 12-9 with 1:05 to go. USC goalie Carolyne Stern put a stop to UCI's final 5-meter penalty try, and the Trojans rounded out their sixth win of the season.
NEXT:
USC wraps the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in the fifth-place game tomorrow (Feb. 25) against No. 3 Fresno State at 10:15 a.m. at Corona del Mar High School.
NOTABLE:
- USC SR goalie Carolyne Stern now ranks No. 5 all-time in career saves at USC.
- With two more goals today, FR Rachel Gazzaniga leads USC in having scored in nine games this season
- FR Ava Stryker now leads USC in scoring with 20 goals this season.
- Stryker's five goals vs. UC Irvine is the second most in a game by a Trojan this season.
BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL
#4 Stanford 12, #5 USC 7
Feb. 24, 2024 | Corona del Mar HS (Newport Beach, Calif.)
USC 4 - 2 - 0 - 1 = 7
STAN 3 - 4 - 3 - 2 = 12
SCORING:
USC — Morgan Netherton 2, Ava Stryker, Isabel Zimmerman, Julia Janov, Hannah Meyer, Rachel Gazzaniga.
STAN — Sophia Sanders 4, Sophie Wallace 4, Christina Hicks, Maggie Hawkins, Alissa Pascual, Avery Montiel.
SAVES: Carolyne Stern (USC) 6, Maya Avital (STAN) 10.
#5 USC 12, #10 UC Irvine 9
Feb. 24, 2024 | Corona del Mar HS (Newport Beach, Calif.)
USC 4 - 1 - 3 - 4 = 12
UCI 2 - 2 - 3 - 2 = 9
SCORING:
USC — Ava Stryker 5, Julia Janov 3, Alejandra Aznar 2, Rachel Gazzaniga, Hannah Meyer.
UCI — Brooke Hourigan 3, Kennedy East 2, Gracie Helberg 2, Airian Grisham, Madi O'Hara.
SAVES: Carolyne Stern (USC) 9, Faith Tedesco (UCI) 9.
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
