Women’s water polo wins seventh NCAA championship

The Trojans narrowly defeated UC Berkeley 10-9 in the final to claim their first title since 2021.

By BENNETT CHRISTOFFERSON
April 26, 2026
USC women's water polo celebrates a win
USC women’s water polo won its seventh NCAA title and first since 2021 on Sunday night, taking down UC Berkeley 10-9. The team is pictured celebrating a regular-season win March 28. (Adrian Jao / Daily Trojan)

The wait is over: USC women’s water polo won its seventh NCAA title Sunday night, taking down UC Berkeley 10-9 in the 2026 national championship match.

The Trojans’ win marks their first title since 2021, snapping a five-year drought, during which they lost three of the past four NCAA finals. It is also their first championship since Head Coach Casey Moon took the helm in June 2023.

To get to the title match, USC had to get through two fellow Los Angeles schools: Loyola Marymount University in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup and crosstown rival UCLA in Saturday’s semifinal. The Trojans cruised past the Lions, 10-5, before eking out an 11-10 win over the Bruins to advance to the championship.

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Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Reed was critical to USC’s win against the Golden Bears on Sunday, allowing just nine goals while saving a career-high 14 shots. She made several key saves down the stretch to limit Cal to a single goal in the fourth quarter, allowing the Trojans to hold onto their narrow lead.

A previous version of this article stated that redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Reed had 10 saves in USC’s win against UC Berkeley. The article was updated April 28 at 8:28 p.m. to reflect that Reed had a career-high 14 saves. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.

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