Whenever UCLA and USC square off in the pool, crosstown bragging
rights and water polo supremacy are usually on the line.
But this Saturday’s conference bout at Sunset Recreation
Center between the No. 1 Bruins and No. 2 Trojans carries a special
meaning for UCLA freshman Gabrielle Domanic.
The driver will yet again face off against former high-school
teammate and current Trojan Brittany Hayes, with whom the Bruin has
always had a competitive relationship.
“There is definitely a crosstown rivalry, but when I play
against Brittany it adds to the intensity,” Domanic said.
“Just to know my team dominates her like that and to shove it
back at her is great.
“As long as I’m here, I’m going to make it a
point that USC doesn’t win a national title.”
Hailing from Foothill High School in Santa Ana, the pair of
lefty shooters may have been the backbone of the most dominant high
school team in recent memory. Domanic and Hayes destroyed their
competition for four years, leading Foothill to four straight
California Interscholastic Federation Championships.
Despite their camaraderie in the pool, Domanic and Hayes
maintained a love-hate relationship, respecting one another in the
pool, but not exactly boasting a friendship out of it.
Often overshadowed by Domanic, who was the more acclaimed of the
two as a member of the 2004 Olympic team that took the bronze in
Athens, Hayes chose USC upon hearing that Domanic was headed to
UCLA, according to Domanic.
“We didn’t want to go to the same school,”
Domanic said. “I think we both had a different perspective of
where we wanted to go. Obviously we wanted to go to where we can
get more playing time, so our choice for schools played a huge
role.”
Domanic’s decision to attend UCLA was also made easier by
a desire to reunite with fellow Foothill player Emily Feher, now a
sophomore goalie for the Bruins.
In Domanic’s opinion, it was herself and Feher who led
Foothill to its streak of championships, while Hayes was a
“third link hanging out there along for ride.”
But that “third link” has been a major weapon for
the Trojans.
So far this season, Hayes leads the Trojans in scoring with 26
goals and has paced USC to an impressive 11-2 record, with both
losses coming at the hands of UCLA (14-0, 2-0). The two losses were
championship matches, the most recent a 10-6 UCLA victory in which
the Bruins didn’t let USC score in overtime.
Though the Trojans dropped that match, Hayes proved to be a
dominant force in the post, tallying a game-high three goals.
Domanic, however, doesn’t believe Hayes will duplicate that
performance come Saturday.
“That won’t happen this time,” Domanic
declared. “We’ll definitely shut her down on 6-on-5;
we’re going to play more aggressively and with
intensity.”
“I think this is the biggest game here at home.
It’ll set the tone for the rest of the season and in the
NCAAs. Winning at home would be great and would definitely put us
in their head.”