Nervous, anxious, excited.
If the UCLA women’s water polo players had to put it into words, those three nicely sum up the emotion heading to the NCAA tournament.
But the feeling underscored in every pass and shot leading into this weekend is predominantly the positive one – and redshirt junior goalkeeper Sami Hill still has “butterflies.”
“Excitement is the perfect word,” Hill said. “We’re having trouble focusing in practice because we’re so excited to play and come … and be a team and be together.”
Anticipation is high because as of late, the team has found itself in the eye of the storm. No. 2 UCLA finished second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship because of a loss to No. 1 Stanford but has had about two weeks to regroup before heading across town to rival USC’s pool to tackle the fiercest competition in the nation.
To start off the weekend, UCLA (25-4, 5-1 MPSF) will take on No. 12 UC San Diego (27-10, 4-0 Western Water Polo Association) in a game the Bruins will likely win but will approach with nothing less than fierce adrenaline.
“Our first game, I’m so excited to play, just having the first play,” Hill said. “As soon as we line up for the first game it’s gonna be so exciting because it’s just the first step. We have to take it step by step and that’s our first challenge.”
But that isn’t all.
With the NCAA comes a level of almost primal competition as the games continue and tensions rise. The possibility of defeating top-ranked teams in a pool that UCLA doesn’t call home only helps to propel the Bruins this weekend.
“Going into someone’s house and taking something from them is the best feeling,” Hill said.
But as much as the tension of the weekend pits UCLA against the others, it’s made the members of the UCLA team more tightly knit. For a team that’s been practicing since September, Hill said she can’t believe that it’s already the end, that it “went by so fast.”
For junior attacker Emily Donohoe, the team dynamic goes hand in hand with the importance of maintaining a coolness and composure this weekend.
“All we can really expect is a just loud and exciting environment and figure out how to find the quiet in that,” Donohoe said.
For Donohoe, finding her “quiet” comes from a reliance on her teammates. Hill noted that as the freshmen on the team face the nervous possibility of playing in their first NCAA tournament, they lean on the seniors for guidance and support.
“This sport is a team sport and you have to focus on each other,” Donohoe said. “Through that you can find the strength and composure to continue playing the game.”
It’s an often-used mantra, but players like sophomore defender Alys Williams echoed that “no past record, no past team matters now.” In the players’ minds is the thought that three straight wins this weekend makes UCLA a national champion – a thought electrified with excitement.
Williams expressed it, but the sentiment is ubiquitous.
“We’re gonna go all out this weekend.”