Friday, January 16
Fullerton, Calif.
9 a.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Cal State Monterey Bay
Photo by: Luiza Moraes
Women’s Water Polo Opens 2026 Season At The Titan Invitational
1/15/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
The Beach will face four opponents in two days of competitions.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – No. 6 Long Beach State will start their 2026 campaign on the road for the first three weekends, starting at the Titan Invitational this Friday and Saturday, hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The Beach will face four opponents in two days of competition, with CSUMB and No. 21 San Diego State on the first day and Biola and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to close the weekend.
With a young roster mixed with experienced players, the Beach will aim to reach their third consecutive conference final as they host the tournament this season.
Senior Elisa Portillo enters her final season at Long Beach State ranked fourth in program history with 177 goals scored, 32 behind leader All-American Cassie Azevedo (2003-06), and looks to make history in her last year. Portillo ranked second on the team with 67 goals in her junior year and earned Second Team All-America and First Team All-Big West honors after leading Long Beach State to another successful season.
The Spanish duo of Rita Gurri and Daniela Quinzada will continue to impact LBSU as the sophomores come fresh off a silver medal at the Junior World Championships this past summer. Gurri scored 39 goals in her freshman year, while Quinzada added 27 as both earned All-Big West Freshman Team honors in their debut for the Beach.
The Beach added six freshmen and two transfers this season, with international players Ronny Gazit and Polina Synytsia looking to make an immediate impact on the team. Gazit represented Israel at the international level, while Synytsia represented Ukraine and played in the Dutch league.
Another key addition is transfer Lucy Miszewski, who brings experience and versatility to the Beach offense, as the senior scored 77 goals in three seasons at San Jose State and represented South Africa at the highest international level.
The first sprint of the season is scheduled for 9 a.m. against CSUMB and at 3 p.m. for the matchup against SDSU at the Titan Aquatics Center. Live stats can be followed through TheFOSH.net.
With a young roster mixed with experienced players, the Beach will aim to reach their third consecutive conference final as they host the tournament this season.
Senior Elisa Portillo enters her final season at Long Beach State ranked fourth in program history with 177 goals scored, 32 behind leader All-American Cassie Azevedo (2003-06), and looks to make history in her last year. Portillo ranked second on the team with 67 goals in her junior year and earned Second Team All-America and First Team All-Big West honors after leading Long Beach State to another successful season.
The Spanish duo of Rita Gurri and Daniela Quinzada will continue to impact LBSU as the sophomores come fresh off a silver medal at the Junior World Championships this past summer. Gurri scored 39 goals in her freshman year, while Quinzada added 27 as both earned All-Big West Freshman Team honors in their debut for the Beach.
The Beach added six freshmen and two transfers this season, with international players Ronny Gazit and Polina Synytsia looking to make an immediate impact on the team. Gazit represented Israel at the international level, while Synytsia represented Ukraine and played in the Dutch league.
Another key addition is transfer Lucy Miszewski, who brings experience and versatility to the Beach offense, as the senior scored 77 goals in three seasons at San Jose State and represented South Africa at the highest international level.
The first sprint of the season is scheduled for 9 a.m. against CSUMB and at 3 p.m. for the matchup against SDSU at the Titan Aquatics Center. Live stats can be followed through TheFOSH.net.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
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