Women’s water polo ready to start 2022 season at Uytengsu


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Women's water polo players huddle around their coach.
Women’s water polo starts its National Championship title defense with two games Jan. 29 and a third Feb. 5 against Fresno State. (Andrew Kerner | Daily Trojan)

This weekend marks the start of the 2022 season for women’s water polo with two home games against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Occidental. 

The Trojans hope to pick off right where they left off from last season. Coming off their seventh NCAA championship in the school’s history, the Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. Although the opponents this weekend aren’t ranked in the preseason poll, the Trojans will aim to show no signs of a slow start. 

With many seniors graduating from the roster, USC will look for new difference makers on the team this year. After losing redshirt senior and longtime starting goalie Holly Parker, there will be a new face in goal for the Trojans this season. Junior goalie Carolyne Stern currently has the most game experience of anyone in the goalie room. Stern averages about 6.4 saves in nine career appearances, including making an appearance in the second half of the quarterfinal against Marist and recording four saves. The only other goalie with prior playing experience at USC is redshirt junior Erin Tharp, who has played in seven games during her time at USC.

As far as the offensive end, senior utility Bayley Weber comes off a season in which she made the All-America Second Team as well as earning an All-MPSF honorable mention. Weber also made her presence known when it mattered most, scoring a hat trick in the NCAA Final last season. Driver Grace Tehaney also returns for her senior season, coming off her junior season in which she scored 34 goals in 19 different games and an All-American Honorable Mention.

Another big part for USC this season could be the return of redshirt sophomore 2-meter Tilly Kearns, who sat out last season to train with the Australian national team and help them finish fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Kearns made a mark in her first season as a Trojan, scoring 29 goals as a true freshman including a 5-goal game against Fresno State. She is now two years removed from her freshman season, returning with a breadth of experience at the international level. Kearns will likely be a focal point for USC throughout the season and will look to get early action in the games this weekend.

Returning for his third season as the head coach, Marko Pintaric will look to repeat the success he had with the team last year. With a roster that includes 16 underclassmen, Pintaric will have a lot of new faces to work with as the season gets under way.

USC has two games at Uytengsu Aquatics Center Saturday, Jan. 29 — the first at 2 p.m. against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and the second against Occidental at 3:15 p.m.