Thanks to indoor pools, the UCLA women’s water polo team will be able to see its first action of the year this weekend. The team will travel to much colder weather to play in the annual Michigan Invitational, a tournament that the team won a year ago en route to their perfect 2008 season.
Although outdoor temperatures in Ann Arbor, Mich. will be hovering around single digits, coach Adam Krikorian sees the tournament as a chance to get on an early season hot streak.
“This is a very important tournament for this team in particular,” Krikorian said. “We’re very inexperienced and we need some of these young girls just to get some time. These early games are really important because they give us an opportunity to build confidence and momentum and hopefully execute some of the things that we’ve been working on.”
The Bruins begin play with two games on Saturday, the first against Bucknell and the second against Indiana. On Sunday, the Bruins take on the host Wolverines, whom they defeated 16-0 in last season’s Stanford Invitational. The tournament final will be held Sunday evening.
According to Krikorian, while winning every game is clearly the goal, the team is intent on building good habits for the duration of the season.
“We’re going to be focused on playing well,” he said. “Most importantly, we want to do a good job on the things that we’ve spent time on during the past two weeks. We might be a little shaky offensively, but we should be good defensively, good on the counterattack and really good at playing 5-on-6 defense.”
Krikorian also emphasizes the importance of the team playing together officially for the first time.
“Because of the inexperience, we really want to get these girls just playing games,” he said. “I look forward to seeing how the girls feel and react to the pressures of the games and different situations.”
The sentiment of the coach is echoed by senior Katie Rulon, the team’s leading goal scorer from a season ago.
“We haven’t really played together for very long yet,” Rulon said. “This weekend will give us a good time to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
As a veteran, Rulon also notes that her role as a leader on the team will have to manifest itself.
“I need to go out there and give all that I have,” Rulon said. “It’s important for me to set a good example for everyone else and be ready and willing to help my teammates out.”
One of the bigger storylines concerning the Bruins will be their reliance on younger players, with freshmen and sophomores being asked to play key roles. This weekend’s tournament will provide the first opportunity for the younger women to prove themselves.
Freshman KK Clark, who missed the team’s preseason action due to illness, is chomping at the bit to play in her first collegiate games.
“I’m really excited to play with everyone for the first time,” Clark said. “Just being on the team with all these girls, getting playing time and starting to gain chemistry as a team is an awesome experience.”
Clark believes that the tournament will also provide a great chance for the team to gain confidence and show that all their effort has paid off.
“We’ve been working so hard this preseason,” she said. “I can’t wait to see this team finally get to play together. We’re all really excited.”