Long Beach State University Athletics
Friday, February 13
Irvine, Calif.
4:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
USC
Women’s Water Polo Set To Face No. 3 USC Once Again For Barbara Kalbus Invitational
2/12/2026 9:10:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
This will be the third game between the two teams this season.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – No. 7 Long Beach State will repeat last week's matchup against No. 3 USC for the opening round of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational hosted by UC Irvine, starting Friday.
A traditional tournament, the Barbara Kalbus Invitational has changed its format this year and switched to an eight-team format with teams invited by UCI. In a three-day format, each team will play once a day to simulate the conference and NCAA Tournament formats.
Long Beach State (7-5) is seeded sixth and will face the third seed, USC (9-1), in the opening round. This will be the third match between both teams this season, as LBSU just hosted the Trojans in their home opener, dropping a 16-8 game.
Both teams faced each other for the first time this season at the Triton Invitational, where SC had the advantage over the Beach once again, winning 15-11.
Lucy Miszweski led LBSU in their home opener with five goals, while Polina Synytsia recorded 11 saves. Miszweski ranks second on the team with 30 goals, three behind Elisa Portillo. Synytsia has proven to be the starting goalkeeper in her first season for the Beach and has 76 saves, two assists, and a steal.
For the Trojans, Ava Stryker led the team with four goals in the win, while Emily Ausmus added a hat trick. Goalkeeper Anna Reed recorded nine saves and added two steals and an assist to help SC take its second win over the Beach this season. Meghan McAninch leads the Women of Troy with 23 goals on the year and has a team-high 16 assists.
Ball drops at 4:30 p.m. on February 13 for the third battle between both teams. Live stats can be followed through TheFOSH.net.
A traditional tournament, the Barbara Kalbus Invitational has changed its format this year and switched to an eight-team format with teams invited by UCI. In a three-day format, each team will play once a day to simulate the conference and NCAA Tournament formats.
Long Beach State (7-5) is seeded sixth and will face the third seed, USC (9-1), in the opening round. This will be the third match between both teams this season, as LBSU just hosted the Trojans in their home opener, dropping a 16-8 game.
Both teams faced each other for the first time this season at the Triton Invitational, where SC had the advantage over the Beach once again, winning 15-11.
Lucy Miszweski led LBSU in their home opener with five goals, while Polina Synytsia recorded 11 saves. Miszweski ranks second on the team with 30 goals, three behind Elisa Portillo. Synytsia has proven to be the starting goalkeeper in her first season for the Beach and has 76 saves, two assists, and a steal.
For the Trojans, Ava Stryker led the team with four goals in the win, while Emily Ausmus added a hat trick. Goalkeeper Anna Reed recorded nine saves and added two steals and an assist to help SC take its second win over the Beach this season. Meghan McAninch leads the Women of Troy with 23 goals on the year and has a team-high 16 assists.
Ball drops at 4:30 p.m. on February 13 for the third battle between both teams. Live stats can be followed through TheFOSH.net.
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
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2018 Golden Coast Conference Champions
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