USC women’s water polo loses to Stanford in NCAA national title game

USC women’s water polo finishes a great season No. 2 in the United States

USC is known for producing national champions in all sports. On Sunday, the USC women’s water polo team looked to become the latest group of Trojans to write their names into the history books when they battled Stanford in the national championship game. Unfortunately for the Women of Troy, however, they came out on the losing end, falling to the Farm 11-7.

USC opened up an early 3-1 lead, and the two teams were tied at six at halftime. In the second half, however, Stanford held down the fort, allowing the Trojans to score just one goal during the remainder of play.

A victory would have given USC its 137th national championship. The Trojans won title No. 136 when the men’s track and field team took home the indoor national championship back in March.

Beach volleyball’s quest for fifth consecutive title comes up short

By far the most successful USC athletic program in recent years has been beach volleyball. Under head coach Dain Blanton, the Trojans won four consecutive national championships between 2021 and 2024, becoming the first team in the history of the sport to do so.

This year, the Women of Troy were pursuing a historic fifth consecutive title. Having lost the vast majority of their championship core, however, USC suffered its first NCAA Tournament loss under Blanton, falling to LMU in the quarterfinals.

While the loss was certainly disappointing, it should not take away from the incredible run that the Trojans have been on. As long as Blanton remains at the helm, the future of the program looks incredibly bright.