There has been plenty of change in the world in the last two years, but one constant in that span has been the success of the UCLA women’s water polo team.
Following a nail-biting 7-6 loss at Stanford on April 14, 2007, the program went on a remarkable 46-game winning streak, the longest of its kind in collegiate women’s water polo history, surpassing their own previous mark of 40 consecutive victories piled up from May of 2004 to February of 2006. The streak stretched across three seasons and included national championships in 2007 and 2008. While only four players on the current team were a part of each of the 46 victories, they acknowledge that it is a thrill to be a part of such a successful program.
“(The streak) isn’t necessarily something that we go into games thinking about,” senior attacker Anne Belden said. “That being said, it’s been amazing to be a part of such a run and it’s something we take pride in.”
Belden and fellow seniors Katie Rulon, Tanya Gandy and Brittany Fullen were only sophomores when the run began with a 14-6 victory over San Jose State the day after the Stanford defeat. Rulon led the team with 6 goals in the win and Gandy contributed 2 more.
The Bruins ran the table in the 2008 season as the clear-cut No. 1 team in the country, but entered the 2009 campaign with the No. 3 ranking and a number of question marks. After reeling off wins in the Michigan Invitational and against Long Beach State, the Bruins traveled north to Palo Alto, the site of the Stanford Invitational and their last pre-streak loss. Their 46th and final victory of the streak came Saturday morning against none other than No. 10 San Jose State, their first victim in 2007. In their second game of the tournament, the women lost a 13-12 heartbreaker to No. 4 Hawaii, forcing them to search for answers.
“At this point in the season, we’re nowhere near our full potential,” Belden said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do still, but there’s plenty of time left in the season to do it.”
Coach Adam Krikorian echoed Belden’s sentiment, believing that his young team is in a whole new position this season.
“I think now it’s a situation where we’ve become the hunter rather than the hunted,” he said. “Teams like Stanford and USC have proven themselves to be two of the best, if not the two best teams in the country.”
With the Bruins suffering their first two-loss weekend in his 10-year tenure as head coach, Krikorian emphasizes that there is little time to dwell on past success.
“Our winning streak is definitely something we’re proud of,” he said. “But we’ve got a long ways to go this season, and a lot to improve on and sharpen up, and we really have to get our game going quickly because there are a lot of great teams coming up in our schedule.”
The first such test will take place Friday against conference rival San Diego State in their home opener. Coming off a loss in the final game of the tournament to host Stanford, the Bruins will look to get back to their winning ways. And if that’s the case, check back in two years.