The 2016 women’s water polo team – off to a 4-0 start and up to the No. 1 spot in the national polls – looks in control after sweeping the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invitational from Jan. 23 to 24.
After a week’s rest, UCLA will travel to the Triton Invitational for another four-game, two-day tournament, taking on Sonoma State (1-4, 1-0 WWPA) in Saturday’s invitational opener.
Although the Bruins are well-accustomed to the invitational format, the stretch of 19 straight away games that extends all the way until April 2 may pose a threat for the undefeated team.
“As much as we love it here, it is good for us to get away. It’s good for us to get out of our comfort zone,” said coach Brandon Brooks. “I think the benefits outweigh the challenges.”
The 122-mile, crammed car ride down to San Diego has its perks.
Traveling so early in the season allows the Bruins to avoid the trap of falling into a comfort zone, Brooks said. Not only that, but the uncertainty of what opponent the Bruins will be facing is just another aspect to keep them on their toes.
“We are trying to prepare for a bunch of scenarios, but not necessarily teams,” Brooks said. “Right now it’s more about us and trying to do what we do as well as possible.”
SEASON PREVIEW: A look ahead for the Bruins.
In last season’s matchup against the Sonoma State Seawolves, the Bruins came off with a 16-2 win at the UCSB Winter Invitational.
Even though UCLA has had much success so far this season, the upcoming tournament may be more difficult. The invitational will feature multiple top-ranked teams, including No. 2 USC, No. 5 Arizona State, No. 7 UC Davis and No. 9 UC Irvine that UCLA could potentially go up against.
“We are going to learn about ourselves this weekend,” Brooks said. “I think this weekend will be a good test. There’s no question that we are going to play good opponents.”
The last two times that the Bruins have participated in the Triton Invitational date back to the 1999-2000 season and most recently the 2010-2011 season. UCLA swept the invitational in the 2011 season but fell in the final game to the Stanford Cardinal in 2000.
For this season, the invitational will be a good litmus test to see where the Bruins are so far in the season, and also will show how they handle the demands of the upcoming schedule.
“We emphasize presence a lot here; being present and being in the moment,” said sophomore attacker Devin Grab. “I think that’s definitely key in how we can be successful and I think we’ve shown that in the past.”
After coming off a scrimmage with the U.S. National Team on Jan. 30, the Bruins have had a week to focus on what their strengths and weaknesses are and improve before the weekend.
“We spend a decent amount of time on transition both ways: transition defense and transition offense. That’s a big thing for us,” Brooks said. “Our program always tries to be good on defense and counter attack so that’s always a focus, but the tough part is only having had played four games.”
The long season ahead will give the Bruins plenty of time work on team dynamics and perfect their counter attack. For now, it is all about more game experience.
“We’ve been working a lot on our communication with each other,” said freshman goalkeeper Carlee Kapana. “I think we have improved a lot on that.”