Head coach Adam Krikorian finally lost it.
Known for maintaining his composure and illustrating a tranquil
attitude during both practices and matches, Krikorian’s
demeanor turned sour during Wednesday’s practice due to the
lack of discipline that the men’s water polo team
exhibited.
As a result, both a diving board and a water polo ball fell
victim to Krikorian’s right hand and leg.
“They needed a wake-up call,” Krikorian explained.
“Our guys kept on telling each other to “˜come on,
let’s go,’ but if they don’t physically perform
and act on those actions, it just isn’t going to cut it.
“¦ Actions definitely need to speak louder than
words.”
Whether it was the day off from practice on Monday or just the
first week of school that caused the mental breakdown, the No. 7
Bruins (5-3) will still head into this weekend to Stanford as the
defending NorCal Tournament champions.
Krikorian believes there will be no advantage in being the
defending champions, but that their youth will certainly benefit
them in the 16-team bracket. Fourteen of the teams are ranked in
the Top 20 in the latest Collegiate Coaches Water Polo Poll.
“We have the depth and conditioning,” Krikorian
said. “These guys are in great shape and they are in better
shape than any team out there. I like our chances as the tournament
wears on.”
Heading into the weekend, UCLA will look to drown its opponents
in similar fashion to the 2002 season, when the team crushed
Princeton, University of the Pacific, UC Irvine and USC, whom they
beat 6-3 in the finals, en route to their second Nor Cal crown in
the past three years.
UCLA will collide with first-round opponent UC Santa Barbara on
Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Avery Aquatic Center.
But unlike teams the Bruins have faced before, the Gauchos have
an element of disguise heading into the tournament.
“We’re going into the game blind,” Krikorian
said. “We don’t have any tape on them, but I know they
are a good team that will definitely compete for 28 minutes and go
after us.”
If the Bruins beat UCSB, they will take on the winner of
Stanford-Santa Clara match.
Stanford (5-1) is ranked No. 2 in the country, and while junior
goalie Joseph Axelrad feels comfortable with their chances against
Stanford, he is not taking UCSB lightly.
“We can’t assume that we can beat SB because they
are a good team,” Axelrad said. “But, if we do get past
them, we’ve been working on some of our 5-on-6 defense that
is catered toward Stanford.”
Junior driver Brett Ormsby will be key to the Bruins’
success in the tournament, as he provides the bulk of UCLA’s
offense. With a streak of 40 consecutive matches with at least one
goal, Ormsby was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation/Mikasa
Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 22.
“It’s always nice to be honored, but I don’t
think it’s as important as the last two games that we
won,” Ormsby said. “Coming into the weekend, I have a
positive outlook and I feel that we’re going to surprise some
people with our play. If we stay focused and don’t slip up
like we did in past games, we’ll be playing for a successful
weekend.”
Krikorian believes the outcome of the tournament will depend on
the team’s power plays, both offensively and defensively, as
well as being able to mimic the same type of play they have
exhibited in previous games.
“Ultimately, a quick start is important for us because it
gets some of our positive juices going,” said Krikorian.
“We are no longer waiting for things to happen, but we
feel more confident that we can start our games off in the right
direction.”