By After coming up just short in the Big West Championship final a year ago, No. 6 Long Beach State women’s water polo (14-10) looks to avenge its prior playoff losses at the Big West Tournament at UC Irvine, starting on Friday, April 25.
To claim the conference title, The Beach must climb the Big West Conference mountain, which boasts seven top-25 ranked teams nationally and four of the top 11.
“We got great competition, which means we have to work harder, but we know it’s going to be a challenge to get that into the championship game,” LBSU head coach Shana Welch said.
In 2024, LBSU goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver made eight saves in the final against the University of Hawai’i, but The Beach lost 9-5 to the Rainbow Wahine.
During her senior year in 2025, she delivered her strongest season yet at LBSU.
After recovering from four surgeries in her water polo career, Oliver leads the Big West in save percentage at .482, and posted a career-high of 16 saves against UC Davis on April 5, tied for the third-most in a game in school history.
Oliver, who earned the starting job as a true freshman and never relinquished it, will compete in her final Big West Tournament starting Friday.
“There’s a lot of motivation because it’s my last chance to win this title,” Oliver said. “I’ve worked for for four years, and it’s my last chance to play with people that I call family and coaches that have backed me the whole way.”
With Oliver at the head of the defense, The Beach’s offensive attack is led by their powerful pair of attackers: senior Martina Cardona, who is fourth in the conference with 62 goals, and junior Elisa Portillo, who sits just behind Cardona at 60, and is fourth in assists in the conference with 40.
“They both have speed, they’re confident shooters, and they complement and play off each other despite being on two separate sides of the pool,” Welch said.
Long Beach State’s women’s water polo went 15-10 in the regular season to clinch the second seed spot in the 2025 Big West Championships. For the season, senior Jamie Oberman amassed 25 goals and 32 assists. Photo credit: Devin Malast
The top three contenders entering the conference playoffs remain the same from last year. Defending champion No. 3 Hawai’i is the undefeated top seed in the conference, while LBSU and No.7 UCI are the second and third seeds.
In four contests against UCI and Hawai’i this season, LBSU is 2-2, including tightly-contested thrillers such as an overtime victory over UCI by way of a game-winning goal from Portillo and a sudden-death overtime loss to Hawai’i.
“It’s exciting because you know how [Hawai’i and UCI] play, they know how you play,” Oliver said. “I know exactly the players that are going to come my way, so it becomes a thinking game rather than being about who’s the strongest or the fastest.”
Before any potential rematches with Hawai’i or UCI, The Beach will have to get past No. 22 Cal State Northridge in the quarterfinals on April 25.
