The UCLA men’s water polo team is ranked No. 4 this week,
but in reality the three teams above it could easily be ranked
below it. The SoCal Tournament two weekends ago featured games
between the nation’s top four teams ““ Cal, Stanford,
USC and UCLA ““ and each game was decided by a single
point.
“There is definitely more parity than ever before,”
UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said.
“In fact, every team (ranked) five through 10 has a shot
at beating one of the top four. On any given day one team can win,
and this year it’s truer than usual,” Krikorian
said.
USC ultimately won the tournament, but no team separated itself
from the competition. If anything, it is harder to name a favorite
after the tournament than it was before.
“It’s really hard to tell who the best team
is,” redshirt junior Logan Powell said.
“There’s definitely USC, Stanford and Cal up there
with us. Even UC Irvine looked pretty good.
“There aren’t really any of the superstars left, so
the level of competition is pretty close this year,” Powell
said.
The Bruins, who were unable to hold late leads in their losses
to Stanford and Cal, made a statement this weekend against No. 6
Pepperdine by winning 7-5 and withstanding a late offensive
surge.
“It felt really good,” Krikorian said.
“We got a lead and we held on. It was really good to do it
after the SoCal Tournament, especially in an away game against a
good opponent. Pretty much everything we didn’t do well in
the SoCal Tournament, we did well in that game,” the coach
said.
Powell, who scored two goals in the Pepperdine game, believes
the team is looking to bounce back and continue to improve.
“We really played well after two disappointing
losses,” Powell said.
“Everyone played well. Our main goal is to continue to
improve and reach our peak at the end of the season.”
The Bruins play today, and they are neither taking their
competition lightly nor are they looking ahead to facing the
powerhouse Cal in the pool next weekend.
“We are preparing for LMU,” Krikorian said.
“We know them a little bit from the tournament. We made a
step in the right direction this weekend at Pepperdine, so now
we’re just looking to continue that against LMU,” the
coach said.
Loyola Marymount University, who lost to UC Irvine and beat Navy
in the SoCal Tournament, was ranked 10th in the nation before
losing to a suddenly strong UC San Diego last weekend.
The Lions currently hold a 5-6 record.
With a tough schedule following the LMU game, UCLA has no
intention of looking beyond its next opponent.
“We’ll worry about Cal later.
“At this point, we’re just preparing for LMU and
then Irvine,” Krikorian said.
It appears that Will Didinger, who had nine saves against
Pepperdine, will be the starter in the goal until Matt Kellogg
proves himself able to play consistently, at which point a decision
will be made.
“Will’s going to be starting,” Krikorian said.
“He’s played really well this season.
“Matt hasn’t been healthy, and he hasn’t had
enough practice. He looked good in the game he started against
Bucknell, but he needs to prove himself completely healthy and
consistent,” Krikorian said.