Cal’s quest for its first-ever NCAA championship in women’s water polo fell just short Sunday in a 10-9 defeat to USC at the Canyonview Aquatic Center at La Jolla.

The fourth-seeded Bears (16-8) battled back repeatedly to stay close, but never enjoyed a lead against the No. 3 seed Trojans (25-3).

“Congrats to Cal, they’re incredible,” USC coach Casey Moon said during an ESPNU post-match interview. "They gave us a great fight.”

The Bears had lost four of their previous five matches before the start of the NCAA tournament. But they topped Hawaii 15-10 in the quarterfinals on Friday, then stunned top-seeded Stanford 13-11 in the semifinals on Saturday.

USC was going to be an uphill challenge, having beaten Cal all three previous meetings this season.…