February was a month of realization and reflection after
suffering a pair of losses to top-ranked USC and second-ranked
Stanford.
March was a month that pitted UCLA against subpar opponents.
But to fully understand whether the UCLA women’s water
polo team will have a shot at defending its national title, look no
further than the month of April. That will be the stretch for the
Bruins.
Riding an 11-game win streak that includes a spring break trip
to Hawaii and wins over the New Zealand Junior National Team, 16-4,
fifth-ranked Hawai’i, 6-4, and Hartwick, 13-5, the Bruins
realize they can ill afford to falter down the stretch with only
four games remaining in the regular season.
“Ever since our loss to Stanford, we’ve realized we
can’t accept losing anymore,” junior driver and
co-captain Kelly Rulon said. “(The month of March) sets the
tone for the next couple of weeks.”
Questions still loom over whether No. 3 UCLA (21-2, 8-0 MPSF) is
ready for the postseason. Against the two teams ““ the Trojans
and the Cardinal ““ that threaten their chances of a repeat,
the Bruins were dismal in their ability to defend the
opponent’s 6-on-5 advantage. They couldn’t finish their
counterattacks. They were porous in their shot selection.
But asked what the biggest difference is between then and now,
Rulon said, “There was no eagerness to play a legit team. We
have that now.”
With two of his team’s four remaining games against USC
and Stanford, UCLA coach Adam Krikorian sees the urgency in his
team now.
“‘SC is the team to beat,” Krikorian said.
“They are on a similar path we were last season. But I think
right now we’re on the path to be playing our best water polo
all year.”
Last Friday’s matchup against Hawai’i was the
closest UCLA got to playing a legitimate team in the past month.
The Bruins played well defensively, holding the Rainbow Wahine
(11-8, 5-4) to four goals. Junior goalkeeper Emily Feher finished
with nine saves. Rulon, who leads the Bruins in scoring this
season, registered three goals.
If there’s any indication of the postseason atmosphere,
the second period of the Hawai’i game was proof of that.
With the game tied 2-2, both Krikorian and Hawai’i coach
Michel Roy received a yellow card within 30 seconds of one another.
In the third period, Roy picked up a red card and was ejected. He
will have to sit out the next Hawai’i match.
“This game definitely had a conference tournament and NCAA
feel to it,” Krikorian said. “They definitely let
players play a lot more physical.”
Rulon isn’t ready to say how much the Bruins have
improved. She’s waiting for Saturday at the McDonald’s
Swim Stadium to make that statement.
“I think USC will be the test,” she said.
“Hawai’i was a good team, but ‘SC is going to be
the deciding factor where we are at.”