The third time will hopefully be the charm for the No. 4 UCLA
men’s water polo team.
After dropping its first match 7-4 and its second 9-6 to No. 5
Pepperdine (15-6, 3-4), UCLA will look to avoid the sweep against
the Waves Saturday at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center.
“It seemed like ages since we played Pepperdine,”
coach Adam Krikorian said. “We’re both totally
different teams and much improved.”
The two losses to Pepperdine have dated back nearly two months.
Needless to say, since their last bout, UCLA (17-5, 6-1 Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation) has made immense strokes in the
pool.
“This coming weekend we’re going to follow our game
plan and continue to play solid defense and execute on our power
plays,” Krikorian said.
Pepperdine’s leading scorer and two-time All American
junior driver Jesse Smith, who has tallied 46 goals on the year,
will likely not suit up for Saturday’s competition. Smith
missed his last two matches after sustaining an injury that has
left his ability to play for the remainder of the season in
question.
The Bruins have won their last five contests, all on the
road.
Junior driver Brett Ormsby, who has averaged nearly four goals
per contest, has been the catalyst for the Bruins’ recent
success.
“We come to expect that out of Brett with his ability on
offensive and ability to create for other players,” Krikorian
said.
Ormsby currently leads the team with 54 goals, which is third
best in MPSF with an average of 2.84 goals per game. He is tied
with sophomore Michael March in assists with 14, and second only to
junior Peter Belden in steals with 20.
UCLA has inundated its competition, winning 16 of its last 18
matches. The team’s only two losses came at the hands of
Stanford.
The match against Pepperdine will be UCLA’s final
conference game, but it will have little or no implications in
Krikorian’s mind for its success in the upcoming MPSF
tournament.
“It doesn’t matter a whole lot who we play,”
Krikorian said. “Every game we play in the conference is
competitive. This year, teams 1-8 can win or lose on any given day.
Whomever we play, it’ll come down to the wire.”
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
Three teams are projected to be tied in their respective records
with seven wins and one loss.
No. 1 USC (17-3, 7-1) has already finished its conference
schedule and No. 3 Stanford (16-3, 5-1) has two remaining
conference games this weekend against UC Irvine and Long Beach
State.
However, when the MPSF tournament tips off from Nov. 28-30, USC
will be featured as the No. 1 seed in the MPSF. USC has locked up
the No. 1 seed by virtue of leading the goal differential between
both Stanford and UCLA.
The No. 2 and No. 3 positions will be determined by the outcome
of this weekend’s games. If Stanford and UCLA end up with
identical records, Stanford will secure the two spot by virtue of
their goal differential in their head-to-head matchups.