W. water polo: Sister Act

Spending countless hours every day practicing, lifting weights,
watching film and traveling is a routine many UCLA athletes have
learned to endure.

With all the time spent together, players on a team can forge a
tight bond.

But for two members of the UCLA women’s water polo team,
sophomore Kristina and freshman Kacy Kunkel, their relationship
goes beyond that of just teammates.

They share the caring bond of sisterly love.

“It’s great having them part of the team with their
talent, skills and energetic personalities,” coach Adam
Krikorian said. “They’re good kids with such great
hearts.”

Despite spending virtually every waking moment together, the
Kunkels have developed a special connection in the pool.

“It’s not like there’s this sister bond where
I know where Kacy’s at even though my eyes are shut,”
Kristina said. “But it does make it a lot easier playing with
her since I know her so well.”

The sibling link between Kristina and Kacy has burgeoned ever
since they both attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Although both had celebrated careers at Santa Margarita, the
Westwood sister connection might never have formed, as Kacy found
herself uncertain about attending UCLA.

“I had a really tough time deciding where to go, because I
didn’t want to follow in Kristina’s footsteps,”
Kacy said. “But I ended up making my choice to go to UCLA
because of the program and coaching staff.”

Kacy’s decision to become a Bruin was even more of a
surprise to her former coach, Scott Taylor, now head coach at
Golden West College.

“I didn’t think that they would be playing
together,” Taylor said. “I found it ironic that Kacy
decided to attend UCLA with her sister being there and all. Sure,
they get along well and they respect each other, but they had their
moments when they had to sort things out.”

Even oldest sister Katy Kunkel, in her third year at UC Santa
Barbara and captain of the Gaucho squad, thought there might have
been a problem having both sisters on the same squad.

“Kristina has always been more of a leader, and for Kacy,
it’s sometimes difficult for her to take instruction,”
Katy said. “That’s why I thought that having both of
them in the same pool might be competitive, because you don’t
really want your sister to tell you what to do.”

But the sisters simply shrug off their small quarrels of the
past, and instead prefer to focus on their positive attributes,
something else Katy knows well.

“Kristina has always had that finesse; she’s smart
and has the amazing ability to separate water polo from her social
life,” Katy said. “Kacy is strong and determined with
everything she does.”

The Kunkels have always had competiveness running through their
veins, even when it comes to the regular season.

But there seems to be disagreement between the sisters about the
importance of facing one another in competition.

“It’s nothing serious because we’re really not
competitive like that,” Kristina said. “It’s just
like playing against anyone else.”

But the UCSB Kunkel has a different take.

“It’s something I take seriously, especially not
letting your sister score on you,” Katy said.

Thus far in the season, the Kunkels have led the Bruins to the
No. 3 position in their conference. Kristina has averaged 1.79
goals per contest, fifth best in the MPSF, and Kacy is currently
the fifth leading scorer on the Bruin squad.

In fact, the success the Bruins have experienced this season has
been largely due to the Kunkels.

“Kacy’s got a lot of talent, and I’m proud of
the way she’s grown as a person and a player in the last
three months,” Krikorian said. “Kristina has always
been tough upstairs and has been a natural leader.”

Even though the two have had their differences inside and
outside the pool, these conflicts have been settled as they find
themselves eyeing a possible NCAA championship.

Kristina knows what it takes to win a championship, being a
member of the 2003 national title squad. Because Kacy has yet to
experience that glory, she takes every little bit of sisterly
advice to heart.

“(Kristina) kicks my butt and doesn’t let me slack
off, and that had a big influence on me coming here,” Kacy
said.

Though it might seem to be a pain to have a sister around all
the time, both will admit it’s tough love that binds these
Kunkels.

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