Most leave their families to go off to college, but freshman
women’s water polo player Anne Belden was fortunate enough to
leave for college to join her family. The Belden family is
comprised of UCLA natives: Both parents are UCLA alumni,
Belden’s brother played for the UCLA men’s water polo
team from 2001 to 2005, and her sister is finishing up her final
season on the women’s water polo team. As an incoming
freshman on a defending national title team with arguably one of
the best programs in the country, Belden expected to see a lot of
action from the pool deck. She had watched her siblings play water
polo at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center pool for five years and
knew playing time in UCLA water polo wasn’t always a given.
What she got surprised her. “I didn’t expect to see a
lot of playing time at all,” Belden said. “I am very
happy with all of these opportunities from coach (Adam)
Krikorian.” Belden, a freshman from Newport Beach, actually
started a number of games this season until recently losing her
driver spot to sophomore Gabrielle Domanic. But the alteration in
the lineup did not faze the easygoing freshman. “Gabby is an
amazing player,” Belden said. “She has been doing a
great job.” Despite not having a spot in the starting lineup,
Belden makes her presence known. When UCLA defeated Stanford this
past weekend in a nail-biting overtime match, Belden played a
pivotal role in the victory. After contributing a goal in the first
half, she scored the game-winning shot in the final minutes of
overtime play, bringing a long, hard-fought battle between the two
powerhouse teams to a close. “To be honest, I really
didn’t expect her to play this well,” Krikorian said.
“Right from the start, it was clear that she wasn’t
going to back down. She is one of the most coachable kids on the
team, and her progression is really a tribute to her work
ethic.” Coming into this season, Belden wasn’t
expecting to steal much of the spotlight; she was just happy to be
living her dream. Belden admits that she was nervous at first, but
enjoyed a distinct advantage in having her older sister Katherine
around to help her adjust. “My sister has made things a lot
easier,” Anne said. “She’s a really good role
model for me and I know it would have been so much harder without
her around.” As a freshman, Anne Belden has been seeing more
playing time than her older and more experienced sister, which
could bring some to infer that tension might result. However, that
assumption could not be further from the truth. “Katherine is
Anne’s biggest fan,” Krikorian said. “She
provides Anne with motivation and it is really a testament to her
character and maturity level.” “(Katherine) teaches me
so much and helps me out all of the time in practice,” Anne
said. Anne Belden has three more years to progress as a player for
the Bruins, and her coach has no doubt that she will experience
even success with time. “She is just scratching the
surface,” Krikorian said. One thing is certain: The Belden
alumni will stick around for a few more years.
KRAUS HONORED: Sophomore Jillian Kraus has been
named MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week. The driver scored the
game-tying goal on Saturday in UCLA’s match against No. 2
Stanford with 12.6 seconds left, forcing the game into
overtime.