It seems nothing ““ not even a storm of bees ““ can get in the way of the UCLA women’s water polo team.
The No. 3 Bruins (20-3) extended their winning streak to 10 games, beating No. 12 Hartwick 15-6 and Brown 15-9 in a doubleheader on Thursday, in between which a swarm of bees forced the team to change venues.
In the opening match against the No. 12 Hawks, a pair of goals by senior Katie Rulon helped UCLA to a 7-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. With a halftime lead of 8-2, the Bruins went on cruise control, outscoring their opponent 7-4 in the final two quarters.
Seniors Anne Belden and Rulon each had a hat trick, while fellow senior Tanya Gandy and sophomore Megan Burmeister each scored twice. Freshmen KK Clark and Sarah Orozco, and sophomores Noel Umphrey, Kelsey McGinley and Kelly Easterday, added one apiece. Senior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen had seven saves.
Following that match, a swarm of bees began hovering over the water polo team’s usual home, Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. This forced the Brown match to be moved to the former home of UCLA water polo, the Student Activities Center pool.
“It felt different,” Gandy said. “It just took a little time to get used to, since it was much narrower and shorter than Sunset. It was still fun and really cool, because they played there before Sunset was a pool ““ that was where the alumni used to play.”
Despite the new venue, the second game was much like the first. The Bruins rolled out a 7-0 lead once again, this time with Orozco’s hat trick catalyzing the team’s run.
However, unlike the first game, Brown was able to make a significant comeback, trimming the Bruins’ lead to 8-5 midway through the third quarter. However, a goal by Belden and two from Gandy gave the Bruins an 11-5 advantage, one they would not relinquish as the teams canceled out each another.
Gandy thought the team’s trademark defense was a big factor in both games.
“Overall, I think they only scored on advantages a couple times in both games,” Gandy said. “Our 5-on-6 defense was amazing. Coach has been pleased in that respect, and it has been one of the keys throughout our season.”
In addition to Orozco, Gandy had three scores in the afternoon match. Belden and freshman Randi Bresee had a pair of goals, while Rulon, sophomores Katie Estrada, Priscilla Orozco and Noel Umphrey, and freshman Nicole Barker each had one. Freshman Caitlin Dement had one save in goal.
“It was good to get a couple games in,” Gandy said. “It had been a week since we played any games, and everyone got playing time. Brown and Hartwick were aggressive teams, but we shut them down defensively.”
The wins against their Northeastern opponents mean the Bruins are currently riding a 10-game win streak, and have won 15 of their last 16 games since the Stanford Invitational seven weeks ago.
UCLA will play No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 USC in the next two weeks before ending the season with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference tournament.
“We made a huge improvement from the Stanford tournament,” Gandy said. “We are getting more experience and more confidence. The next two weeks are huge ““ we have been training really hard for this stretch of the season.”