2022 NCAA TOURNAMENT
May 6-8 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Canham Natarorium
Quarterfinals:
No. 8 Fresno State vs. No. 2 USC
Friday, May 6 | 1 p.m. PT
QUICK LOOK
Fresno State is 19-7 (7-0 GCC) this season.
Fresno State is nationally ranked No. 8.
Fresno State won the Golden Coast Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Fresno State went 7-0 in conference play to take home the GCC regular season title for the second consecutive season.
Five Bulldogs took home seven 2022 GCC All-Conference honors.
Senior Emily Nicholson was named the GCC Player of the Year and Fanni Muzsnay was named the Newcomer of the Year.
Fresno State has outscored its opponents 313-221 and is averaging 12.0 goals per game.
Fresno State has four players with 30-plus goals this season, and six players with 20-plus goals.
Muzsnay leads the Bulldogs on offense with 70 goals and 87 points.
Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny has grabbed 216 saves for a .512 save percentage, while swiping 39 steals.
THE TOURNAMENT
There are 10 teams contending for the 2022 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship. The championship will be hosted by Michigan, and held at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor. The tournament will run May 6-8 and will be streamed live on ncaa.com.
This year's National Collegiate field includes seven automatic qualifiers from conference championships and two at-large teams. Six teams qualify directly to the championship field, and the remaining four teams competed in the Opening Round games on May 4.
In the Opening Round game on May 4, Wagner (35-3) defeated Salem (18-16) for the right to play top seed Stanford (22-2) on Friday. The other quarterfinal matchups are set: No. 4 seed UCLA (22-5) takes on UC Irvine (22-6), while No. 3 seed California (16-5) faces host Michigan (26-8). Winners advance to Saturday (May 7) semifinal rounds, with the 2022 national championship bout set for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday (May 8). The title match will be televised on ESPNU, with the prior games streamed on ncaa.com/live. Live stats and live stream links are all available at the NCAA Tournament Central page
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
USC is 18-3 (6-0 MPSF) this season and the MPSF regular-season champions.
The defending NCAA champs, the Trojans will make their 18th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Winners of seven previous national championships, USC holds a 37-12 all-time record in NCAA tournaments.
GCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR, EMILY NICHOLSON
The Auckland, New Zealand native tallied 39 goals and eight assists for 47 points. She drew a team-high 105 exclusions. Nicholson swiped 24 steals and logged five field blocks.
In conference play, she tallied four multi-goal games including three with hat tricks.
Nicholson is the first GCC Player of the Year in program history. He becomes a five-time GCC selection, the most accolades in program history. This is her second individual award as she was named the GCC Newcomer of the Year in 2018.
GCC NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR, FANNI MUZSNAY
The Budapest, Hungary native set a single-season record with 70 goals and 87 points. She also logged 17 assists, 22 drawn exclusions, 25 steals and eight field blocks.
In conference play, she had five multi-goal games including three with hat tricks. She had a season-high six goals in the 14-9 victory over then-No. 20 San Diego State and in the GCC Tournament Championship game.
Muzsnay is the first Bulldog to be named Newcomer of the Year since Nicholson earned the award in 2018. She is also the first to earn three GCC All-Conference honors in one season since Nicholson in 2018.
FIVE 'DOGS NAMED ALL-GCC SELECTIONS
After claiming the 2022 Golden Coast Conference regular season championship, five Bulldogs were recognized by the coaches of the league with all-conference honors, highlighted by sweeping the individual awards as Emily Nicholson and Fanni Muzsnay were named Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively.
Nicholson and Muzsnay were also tabbed First Team GCC All-Conference selections. Muzsnay completed the trifecta by earning a spot on the GCC All-Freshmen roster. Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny was a Second Team GCC All-Conference honoree. Senior attacker Daphne Guevremont was named a Honorable Mention selection, and fellow attacker Brooke Ochoa rounded out the awards with a GCC All-Freshman team nod.
Fresno State led the GCC with eight total conference honors for the 2022 season.
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS x2
Fresno State claimed the 2022 Golden Coast Conference regular season championship after going a perfect 7-0 in conference play. The Bulldogs went undefeated in GCC games for the first time in program history.
Fresno State entered the GCC Championship as the No. 1 seed for the second straight season. The 'Dogs defeated CBU, San Diego State and LMU in route to defending their title and punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
Nieto Jasny was named the GCC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Muzsnay and Yesenia Preciado earned GCC All-Tournament team honors.