Geometric formations, serious faces and a shot clock that perpetually counted down the seconds from 30 all characterized Monday evening’s practice at the Spieker Aquatics Center.
But when the UCLA men’s water polo players stepped out of the pool at the end of practice and hopped into the hot tub, the once-serious team erupted with laughter.
After all, the balance of seriousness and fun is something the team must master before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament this weekend. No. 3 UCLA kicks off the tournament Friday in the MPSF quarterfinals against No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in Stockton, Calif.
The team must weigh the need for improvement with the need for rest, according to coach Adam Wright. As a result, a team that is tapering down its workouts has focused on cutting down repetition and zooming in on quality performance.
“(We’re) not reinventing the wheel. We just want to get better at our game,” Wright said.
Coming of a double-overtime victory against USC amid a packed Spieker Aquatics Center and ESPNU coverage, freshman attacker Jack Fellner said everyone has been “powering through” for the goal of claiming the MPSF championship – something UCLA hasn’t done since 2011.
Junior attacker Daniel Lenhart said with that goal in mind, the Bruins have been practicing certain plays in preparation for the Gauchos in a high-intensity setting.
“But you never know what they’re actually going to run,” Lenhart said. “So if we just focus on what we need to do, that’s going to get it done for us.”
Fellner reiterated that Santa Barbara must be the only focus right now, and that the team can’t plan ahead – despite the tantalizing thought of a rematch with teams like Stanford, to which a less-developed UCLA team lost earlier this season.
This focus is necessary because UCSB, according to Wright, is a “dangerous” team that boasts great shooters and a center that plays for the national team. Fortunately, the Bruins played the Gauchos at home just a little over a week ago, providing an advantage – but that game was a close 10-7 victory for UCLA.
“There (were) a couple situations that we got lucky, and the game could’ve been a little different,” Wright said.
But with the serious tone, the players haven’t forgotten the Thanksgiving holiday. A hearty Thanksgiving dinner the night before the game won’t be too feasible, according to Fellner, but the team will be making time for something small, like a brunch before practice.
For Wright, however, all else is secondary to the MPSF tournament for the next few days.
“We’re only thinking one thing and one thing only,” Wright said. “Right now how we’re going to get better as a group, and Santa Barbara. That is it.”