The No. 1 UCLA women’s water polo can now add the title of “undefeated” to the list of its many accomplishments in the 2008 season.
Those fans who braved the heat this weekend at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center were treated to a trio of Bruin victories, with Sunday’s 14-4 win over No. 7 Arizona State capping off a perfect 27-0 regular season, a feat that had not been accomplished since UCLA did so in 2005.
“It was pretty great,” senior Courtney Mathewson said. “It’s always a plus to say at the end of the season that you’re undefeated.”
For those who followed the Bruins this season, the achievement of a perfect record didn’t seem unobtainable.
“I never really doubted that we could do it, but it was also never really the goal or the focus,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “I like where we are and I think we can get better. We played our best water polo here in the last couple of weeks and I think that it will just get better in the four weeks to come.”
Sunday was also Senior Day and UCLA’s five graduating seniors ““ Gabrielle Domanic, Brittany Rowe, Jillian Kraus, Kamaile Crowell and Mathewson ““ were honored before the game.
“They are a huge part of the success of the team, not just this year, but in the past four years,” Krikorian said. “They’ve gone 117-6 now over four years ““ that’s unheard of; and this program and myself, we owe a lot to them. That’s the great thing about this group though, they’re so competitive. The last thing they’re thinking about is Senior Day and 117 and 6. They’re thinking about four more weeks and 6 more games.”
Saturday saw the first non-tournament doubleheader of the Bruins’ season. They took on No. 5 San Diego State and non-conference opponent Sonoma State University back to back, scoring a pair of lopsided victories for the day, 17-5 over the Aztecs and 14-7 over the Sea Wolves.
“It’s tough, a doubleheader, especially in 90-degree weather, but I think we did a good job,” Krikorian said. “Everyone contributed and stepped up so that we were able to give some of our main players more of a rest in the second game.”
The two games also allowed some of the younger Bruins to have a chance in the pool. With a pool full of less-experienced players, junior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen was a vocal presence in the back court.
“It is a role that comes along with the position,” Fullen said. “It comes naturally, especially now that I know them a little bit better. It’s a lot easier for me to say, “˜Hey, you need to do this.'”
Although the added game against Sonoma State complicated the Bruins’ weekend schedule, the Sea Wolves were welcomed into Sunset Canyon Recreation Center with a standing ovation. The reason? Sonoma State’s new coach, Coralie Simmons, is a former a UCLA water polo player and assistant coach.
“It was great to have her back since she was such an integral part of our team last year,” Krikorian said. “She’s an incredible coach and certainly one of the best players to ever play here, let alone even play in the world. We have a great relationship, and she’s doing a great job with that team.”
The players who Simmons had a direct and daily effect on couldn’t agree more.
“It was great to see Coralie still coaching,” Mathewson said. “Good to see she is spreading her knowledge to other teams at other levels.”
With a now-perfect record, the Bruins are shifting their focus to the post-season and trying to capture their fourth-straight national title.
“We are definitely looking forward to the hard games we have coming up, and all the preparation that leads up to them,” Mathewson said. “They are definitely the best four weeks of the entire season, that’s what we train for the 16 weeks previous. It should be really challenging and really fun at the same time.”