SAN DIEGO “”mdash; The run of five straight national championships came to an end, but UCLA was still able to salvage a fifth-place finish on the final day of the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship.
Led by four goals from junior attacker Priscilla Orozco, the No. 3-seeded Bruins (22-8) took down the No. 5-seeded Michigan (32-7) 9-6, in a match at the Aztec Aquaplex on the campus of San Diego State University.
Junior center Grace Reynolds got off to a quick start by scoring three consecutive first-quarter goals and the Bruins scored on their first six possessions on their way to a 6-2 first-quarter lead over the Wolverines.
Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Dement had nine saves in the cage for UCLA.
The fifth-place finish is the lowest finish for UCLA at the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to eight teams in 2005.