Influence in the pool is often not measured by playing time or goals scored but by the lasting impressions a player is able to leave on her teammates.
Senior goalie Alex Musselman of the UCLA women’s water polo team is one player with that level of influence.
In her first three seasons with the Bruins, Musselman was second on the depth chart behind current USA Women’s Senior National Team member Sami Hill, but Mussleman still found her unique place on the UCLA team.
“She has been … the torchbearer of her class,” said coach Brandon Brooks. “She’s got such an infectious spirit, and when she puts her mind to something, she’s the kind of person that gets you to do stuff that you wouldn’t normally do.”
In Musselman’s first three seasons behind Hill, she played in 37 games with four starts, tallying a total 122 saves for a 2015 goals-against-average of 4.61.
Things have changed for Musselman in her senior year, as she now splits time almost 50-50 with freshman goalie Carlee Kapana.
“It’s nice to see in her senior year contributing and playing in a big role,” Brooks said. “She’s waited a long time to see some big starts, and she’s been doing very well this year.”
Among those big starts were games against California, Hawai’i and Arizona State, which resulted in pivotal UCLA wins. Through the season thus far, Musselman recorded 102 stops and sports a goals-against-average of 5.45.
While the Newport Beach native has been posting impressive numbers this season, her focus has consistently remained on her team.
“She understands what it means to be part of a team and to work toward the common good of the team,” said assistant coach Molly Cahill. “She is a leader both in and out of the pool, filling her summers with various internships and bringing her strength in leadership to the outside world.”
For Musselman, being a member of UCLA’s squad means not only fulfilling her duties as a goalie, but also ensuring that her teammates are also able to perform well. At any given game, spectators can hear Musselman shouting across the pool to direct her offense and defense from between the goalposts.
In 2015, UCLA travelled to Honolulu to play the Brazilian National Team, Hawai’i and San Diego State. When they weren’t playing, the Bruins created some of Musselman’s favorite memories.
“My favorite memory would probably be hanging out in Makapu’u,” Musselman said. “We were just all on the beach with all our best friends, just getting killed in the waves and thinking we were surfers – we’re definitely not.”
Musselman’s love for her teammates is evident in the way she lights up when talking to or about them, so it only seems natural that the team is what drove her to commit to UCLA in her junior year of high school.
“I chose UCLA because of the team aspect,” Musselman said. “All of the people here are great. I’m literally best friends with every girl on this team.”
While she might be close with every athlete on the team, Musselman shares a special bond with fellow seniors India Forster and Charlotte Pratt. The three have lived together and played together for all four years they have been Bruins, sharing many long bus rides and road trips over their careers.
“We have shared many stories, memories and good times in our long van rides together,” Cahill said. “It’s the only group I’ve been with that can talk for an entire three-hour trip to San Diego and not have to turn on music once.”
As Musselman’s time at UCLA draws to a close, she begins to look toward the future. The sociology student plans to travel to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, and afterwards, she hopes to land a job working in New York City in either public relations or the entertainment industry.
Although Musselman will no longer have a physical presence in Westwood, her ability as a leader, even as someone with a few minutes, will remain with the team as they work to inspire the next generation of Bruins, including her younger sister Maddie.