After a brief stint competing under the Hawaiian sun, the UCLA women’s water polo team returns to Westwood this weekend for the remainder of their scheduled regular-season games. They open the homestretch this weekend with a duel against conference rival Cal on Saturday, followed by a match with Pacific on Sunday.
Approaching the final leg of the season, the team’s focus concerns not one specific aspect of their game, but rather improving the execution of what they have consistently worked on since the season began.
“There’s not a lot to continue to work on,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “It’s just perfecting (our game) as much as possible.”
When playing against teams of depth like sixth-ranked Cal, maintenance retains unprecedented value, but wariness also plays a large role.
This season, Cal beat USC for the first time since 2000 at the UC Irvine Invitational, but followed it up with disappointing losses to San Diego State and Arizona State. Despite the yo-yo momentum that seems to characterize their season, the Golden Bears should not be counted out as a non-threat, as far as the Bruins are concerned.
“I think they’re as talented as any team in the country,” Krikorian said. “Their weapons are their big, physical, strong centers; their goalie does an excellent job as well. They’re going to be tough.”
Cal is considered to be one of the country’s water polo powerhouses, ranking among the top programs, including Stanford, USC and UCLA. Though the Bears’ status as such has been questioned in light of their inconsistent performance, their depth is undeniable.
Bruin senior Jillian Kraus reiterated the scale of talent that Cal has at each position, especially at set.
“I think that anytime you have a team that can go around and play different positions, they’re going to be tough to guard,” Kraus said. “They have a lot of talent, a lot of young players too, and they’re very physical.”
In addition to the grand aura that hovers around matches that evoke such anticipation, the home-court component also contributes to an intensified atmosphere. This may be positive or negative, depending on the perspective.
Krikorian said that traveling helps maintain a certain competitive focus, and tends to orient the team toward the next game without the distractions that playing at home sometimes produces.
But he did not deny the comforting feeling of playing for the home crowd.
Kraus also expressed her feelings about playing at home.
“This is where we practice, where our family is. This is our home crowd, our community. We’re excited.”