PALO ALTO — During the NCAA semifinal game, the California Golden Bears were closing in on UCLA women’s water polo’s lead with three consecutive goals. In the third quarter, an exclusion on the Bears gave the Bruins a six-on-five advantage and the ball settled into the hands of junior Rachel Fattal. Read more...

Photo: Junior attacker Rachel Fattal helped UCLA defeat a fourth-seeded California, powering the Bruins to a 9-5 win and a spot in the NCAA title match. (Austin Yu/Daily Bruin senior staff)

STANFORD — Within the first minute of the NCAA quarterfinal’s opening sprint, junior defender Alys Williams sent a skip shot into the lower right corner of the net putting the UCLA women’s water polo team on the scoreboard first. Read more...

Photo: Senior attacker Emily Donohoe tied for the UCLA team lead with two goals scored in the Bruins’ 9-2 win over the UC San Diego Tritons in the NCAA quarterfinal on Friday. (Austin Yu/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Upsets and unlikely heroes characterized the 2009 NCAA women’s water polo tournament as UCLA finished with its fifth consecutive national title. On paper, the No. 3 seed Bruins were not expected to win. Read more...

Photo: Tanya Gandy was one of three senior leaders in UCLA women’s water polo’s lineup during its last championship-winning season in 2009. (Daily Bruin file photo)