written by Chip
A highly anticipated tournament, Centex is our last tournament of the season before we kick off the College Series with Sectionals. With finals week behind us and spring break underway, the Psychos flew to Austin, TX to compete in one of the most important spring college tournaments. Huge thanks to J Leon and his daughter for hosting our team and letting us occupy the house. Another thanks goes out to Michelle Ng, Without Limits, Texas Ultimate, and all those involved in making Centex another great tournament.

We got to the fields Saturday late morning, ranked 2nd in our pool. Ranked 8th in Division II and 24th overall, our first game was against MIT. We started off strong and after trading points with MIT, we were able to take a lead and hold onto it, winning the game 13-10. Where we normally come out flat and tired, during our first game we came pumped up and played with intensity. The difference showed in our game against MIT and we carried it into our next game against Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Again, we traded points for a bit against Eau Claire, but by minimizing our mistakes and adjusting our defense, we took half and the win 15-4. Offense looked solid as both cutters and handlers dominated play. Our last game of pool play was against Rice, they were ranked 1st in our pool and we lost to them in crossovers last year. Initially, we started off flat. Points were long and brutal. There was also an injury that ate up about 15 minutes of play - best wishes to the Rice player, who made a sideline appearance at the end of the game. Glad to know she was okay. Though we took half, we realized our intensity from the beginning of the day had disappeared. But everyone took initiative and sideline was huge this weekend, but particularly in this game, in bringing up our intensity. After half, Rice went on a streak, but we kept our composure and kept playing our game. We won with cap at, 12-9.

We broke seed and placed 1st in our pool and 1st in Division II. Our last game of the day was a crossover game against Virginia to determine who would play in Division I the next day. Virginia, who lost every game in pool play on universe point, came out strong. We scored the first point, but Virginia kept pressing on. Our defense looked sluggish and our offense became sloppy. We were unable to convert our D's into points. Hydra was able to capitalize on our turnovers, taking half 2-8 and then reaching cap at 6-15. It was disheartening making it as the first seed in pool play and then losing in our crossover, but we learned from our mistakes and took those lessons into our games the next day.

Games started at 8:15am and with tournament fatigue from the day before, we came out slow. But we quickly changed our mentality, and with our adjusted defense, we were successful in stopping Georgia's huck offense. We worked it down on offense, opening up our deep threat and took the game 11-7.

Our next game was against USC, a team we've played the past 3 tournaments. It was a close game and after USC took a 4 point lead, we were unable to come back before soft cap and lost 9-11 in D-II quarterfinals. Our last game would determine 5th place in D-II. We started off Centex with a game against MIT and would end it against MIT. This time, we started off strong, took half, and never looked back. With a 14-5 win against MIT, it was time for Spring Break.

Overall, Centex was a pretty successful tournament. Our flow and chemistry this tournament was the best we've had this entire year. With a few more tweaks and improvements, these next few practices will be crucial as we vie for a spot to Nationals.

written by Chip
Heading to Sin City for a highly anticipated tournament, the UCSD Psychos made their first appearance at Trouble in Vegas. Seeded first in our pool, we came out strong against Utah State. Experimenting with various defenses, we capitalized on our forced turnovers, winning 13-1.

Our second game was against Willamette. They came out strong, scoring two unanswered points. But we rallied and after trading points early on, we took the lead at half and kept on running. Again, we were able to score on one possessions and took advantage on turnovers. Movement and flow between cutters continued to improve as we took the game 13-4.

After a bye, our third game was against Northern Arizona. As winds picked up, we threw our zone defense. As our cup of doom forced critical turnovers, we capitalized in the endzone winning the game 13-6. Defense played a crucial role in this game.

Our final game was against USC-B. The last game of the day, our fatigue started to show. Nevertheless, scoring on forced turnovers and key d's helped us win 13-1.

With a 4-0 record on Saturday, we were put in the Championship bracket for Sunday's games. Our first opponent was Occidental. We looked sloppy in the morning, beating ourselves with our own drops and turnovers. But we were able to come out with a 13-6 win.

Going into the semi-finals game against Arizona, after trading points in the beginning, we struggled to shut down Arizona's handler-heavy offense. Our complacency showed as Arizona took half and then took a startling 9-3 lead. But after an inspiring pep talk, the Psychos rallied for a comeback. While our running d shut down the open lane, our dump defense took out the upline cut for Arizona's handlers. After forcing key turnovers, we scored immediately on offense. Down by 6 points, we scored 3 points to tighten the gap 6-9. By this time soft cap came on, meaning the clock was ticking against us. But the team dug deep and scored 3 in a row, just in time to tie the game 9-9, universe point. Sideline was key in this game, playing a vital role as the 8th man by pumping up the 7 on the field. Everyone was yelling, screaming, and cheering. USC even made an appearance and cheered on our game against Arizona. After scoring 6 unanswered points in a row, we forced a crucial d, scored on offensive flow, and made it 7 unanswered points as we won the game on universe, 10-9 - the Psychos pulled out the greatest comeback of the season.

Heading into our finals game, our opponent was USC - a team we played twice at Pres Day and had beaten every time. With little time to rest, we headed over to the fields, ready to play. Exhausted from our semi-finals game, USC had fresher legs and though we were able to keep up 5-7 at half, the Hellions took advantage of the field and used an effective catch and huck offense. It was a tough game, but USC pulled out the win this time, 6-13.

After a great weekend, the Psychos came in second place. With a couple weeks until our last tournament before the College Series, we're excited to see how we stack against some of the best teams in the nation.

written by Chip

Heading out to Santa Barbara for the first tournament of the season, we were seeded 3rd in our pool and 11th overall. After weeks of practice, the team was excited to see how we would stack against our competition.

The first game was against UCLA BLU, a team we played several times during the pre-season and seeded 3rd overall. After trading off points, we fell behind and BLU was able to take the win 9-14.

After the first game we had a bye before playing Colorado, who was seeded 2nd in the pool. We immediately came out strong and held our lead at half. With great plays on defense and flow on offense, we took the game 15-10. Our next game was against Cal Poly SLO where we were able to pull out a 15-6 victory, putting us 2nd in our pool.

Our fourth game was a crossover game where we played UC Santa Cruz. Pumped and ready to play, the theme of our weekend - hustle - was evident throughout this game. Rookie handlers stepped up to make great plays and cutters were throwing upline, trusting themselves with the disc instead of relying on handler movement. We were able to take a big lead, giving UCSC little opportunity to come back. We ended the game with a 15-10 win, putting us in the Championship Bracket for the first time in years.

Sunday's games started out with a match-up against Sonoma State. Sonoma played a fast-paced offense, dominated by three veteran handlers and cutters. Immediately they took half and took the game 4-15. Sonoma ended up winning SB Invite, dominating the competition.

Our next game was against Humboldt State, an opponent we played twice last year. Playing for a chance at 5th place, we suffered a tough 10-14 loss.

The Psychos ended the tournament tied for 7th and with a stellar performance, Santa Barbara was a great learning experience for us. With a couple weeks to train before Pres Day Invite, the Psychos are stoked to see how much damage we can do this season. 

This past weekend the UC San Diego Women's Ultimate Team took center stage at home in their annual SoCal Warmup Tournament. Saturday pool play saw UC San Diego play defending National Champions, UC Santa Barbara. UCSB took an early lead, throwing a zone with their experienced returners. In an attempt to rally, UCSD threw zone themselves and were able to capitalize on turnovers. Unfortunately, the Psychos were not able to break through Santa Barbara's tight trap zone and had many unlucky throws. UCSB took the game pretty handily. Next up was Colorado State. With the wind picking up, UCSD once again chose to throw their zone. And with much success, were able to take an early lead 6-0. After taking half, UCSD kept their substantial lead and Colorado State was never able to recover. UCSD wins! Their last game of the day was against split USC, a rival from last year who the Psychos faced many times with USC winning the last matchup at Centex on universe point. But, this time, the Psychos were unstoppable. Capitalizing on turnovers, and still throwing a zone, USC was unable to come back and UCSD takes the win with an overall record of 2-1 in the pool, taking 2nd place.

Sunday saw match-ups against ASU, a split UCLA team, and once again USC. Playing ASU first, the game was pretty fairly matched all the way through but UCSD was able to pull away with the win in the end. Next up was a rough game against UCLA in which UCSD took it all the way to universe. With the game tied, both teams fought hard for the last point to take the win. After a long fight, UC San Diego was able to score and take the win by one point. After such a tough battle, the next UCLA team was able to benefit off UCSD’s low numbers and overall tiredness from the previous game. This UCLA team took the win easily against a fatigued Psycho team. For the last game of the day, UCSD once again faced the other half of the USC Hellions. With the wind playing a dramatic role, UCSD was able to once again throw its formidable zone. With great pulls and quick disc movements, the UCSD Psychos were able to pull away win a fun win against a fun team.

UCSD had a great weekend with some tough losses but overall we had a great time and ended up finishing in 6th place with an overall record of 5-2. Pretty good considering our low squad numbers and it is only preseason. The only way to go is up! 

The UC San Diego Women's Ultimate Team headed up to Santa Cruz this past weekend to compete in the annual Sean Ryan Memorial Tournament. Worried that the tournament would be rained out, the team was quite hesitant to make the 8 hour drive up. But the “Frisbee Gods” had other plans... Low and behold Saturday and Sunday were both beautifully sunny days on Santa Cruz's scenic fields.

Day 1 started out a little rough... both X and Y teams went 0-3 in their respective pools with tough losses to Stanford, UC Davis, UCLA, and a one point loss on universe to the home team, UC Santa Cruz. Despite the unlucky losses, both teams played great with team X being led by captains Hannah Walsh and Brittany "Agave" Cabriales. Both teams were graced by outstanding play from returners and rookies alike but just came up a little short.

Day 2 had a lot of scheduling errors due to poor planning by UC Santa Cruz and a late drop by Chico State which messed up pools. Unfortunately, half the team headed home early while the other half stayed behind to play the final game 3 hours later against Nevada-Reno. At the start, UC San Diego started off a little slow, trading points back and forth. But after throwing a little zone and converting our D's into quick scores, we were able to pull away with the score pretty handily. With the win, we took 11th out of 16th place and left with spirits high as the sun set along the coast.

Just like every year, this early fall tournament is mostly used as a tool to help new rookies learn the game and to have a great time. And, as always, both goals were accomplished.

written by Hannah

We kicked off the season with the annual UCLA One Day Tournament. Huge thanks goes to UCLA and all those involved for hosting another great tournament! The Psychos came out having a lot of fun and with more experience for the rookies!

UCSD X tied their first game, losing their second game to USC challenging them to a universe, however ultimately lost as USC pulled a zone strategm on UCSD. After the loss, UCSD X went on through the day and won their third and fourth games.

Props go out to the UCSD handlers, both official and temporary ones! AMAZING job rookies - You guys totally picked up the game so fast and dealt with offenses and defenses we haven't even shown you! We can't wait to keep playing with you girls!

UCSD Y won all four of their games at the UCLA “One Day Tournament.” One special mention to the UCSD Y Rookies: the last point of the fourth and final game, an all rookie line was able to beat the USC line demonstrating domination to end the tournament on a good note.

Can anyone say handling like a boss out there? Between hammers, breaks, and our speed, both teams played phenomenally. Rookies - you played with the big kids today and totally held your own. Ending our first tournament with such success and already having rookies racking up the rookie points? One word: AWESOME!

CONGRATULATIONS girls and looking forward to a great upcoming season!



Our next tournament will be at UC Santa Cruz from November 12th to the 13th. Sean Ryan Memorial Tournament, here come the Psychos!

After countless hours spent at practice, track workouts, and tournaments, everything came down to Regionals. Held in Morgan Hill, Regionals was held from May 7-8. Seeded 11th out of 16 teams, UC San Diego was pooled with Stanford, Arizona, and Cal State Long Beach.

Our first game was against Stanford, seeded 2nd in the tournament and 1st in our pool. We came out strong, playing with intensity and precision and scored the first two points against Stanford with one possession scores. Stanford responded with a score, but we continued to fight and a spread offense worked well against Stanford. But Superfly, stacked with veterans and experience, went unfazed and tied the game at 3's, then went on to take half. Our momentum began to dwindle as Stanford continued to score and took the game, 15-5.

We took the momentum from our game against Stanford and continued to fight against Arizona. Winning this game would effect our crossover game and determine if we would be in the Championship Bracket on Sunday. After Arizona took the lead in the beginning of the game, we continued to fight back. Shifting to a spread offense worked exceptionally and sick layouts and bids for the disc showed the level of intensity that was previously unseen earlier in the season. UCSD came to Regionals to play.

The wind began to pick up and after Scorch took half, we rallied on an upwind point to take the lead by one. But Scorch scored on the next point with a hammer upwind, tying the game at 11's with hard cap going off on universe point. Having to score on an upwind point, handling experience became a major factor in a game with wind and we were unable to capitalize on the pull for an upwind score. After a hard-fought game against Arizona, the game ended with the Psychos taking a heartbreaking loss, 11-12.

With our last pool play game against a savage Long Beach team, we rallied after a loss against Arizona and beat No Regrets 14-3. After maintaining seed, our next game was a crossover game that would determine whether we would be in contention for a bid to Nationals. Our last game was against UCLA, a team we've faced in nearly every tournament. But as UCLA took half 2-8, our intensity began to falter and a shot to play in the Championship Bracket began to disappear. After taking half, Blu continued to stack the point differential and won the game, 15-3.

After going 1-3 on Saturday, UCSD was put in the 9th place bracket for Sunday's games. Even though we were out of contention for nationals, we continued to fight on Sunday beating both Cal Poly SLO and California-B, 15-10 and 14-6 respectively, to rematch UC Davis for 9th place. In an intense game against the Pleiades, who won in our last matchup at Stanford Open, Davis took the half 5-8. But the Psychos rallied to tie the game at 8-8. The flow on offense was incredible and out of all the games at Regionals, this game against Davis reflected our dedication and the countless hours we spent at practice. Although the Pleiades took the lead 8-10, we continued to fight with the intensity and passion that was seen in the first several points against Stanford on Saturday. The Psychos tied the game at 10-10, then scored two more points to lead the game 12-10. But Davis continued to fight and after a marathon point, capitalized and scored 12-11right before hard cap was called. Now, if Davis scored then we would have to play for 9th on universe point, but if we scored, then we would have secured our victory. Tired and exhausted, we dug deep as the seven players on the field fought for what would hopefully be the last point of the game and the sideline continued to cheer and keep up the intensity. And after an unbelievable game against Davis, where both teams fought with heart and determination, we rallied for the score and won 13-11.

We broke seed at Regionals with a 9th place finish and undefeated record on Sunday. Certain moments during Regionals truly reflected the amount of handwork every player and coach put into this season. This season might have been a rebuilding year for the Psychos, with only two players on the team having more than 2 years of experience on A-team, but with more than half the team returning next year, the future for the Psychos looks promising and only time, along with hard work, perseverance, and determination, will tell.

Psych-o. You know. Region-o.