Coming off a strong first tournament, the UCLA women’s water polo team will pack its bags and head north for the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invitational this weekend. For several players, the tournament will double as a trip home.
Sophomore attacker Kodi Hill, her sister redshirt junior goalkeeper Sami Hill and freshman attacker Kelsey O’Brien are all from Santa Barbara.
Although coach Brandon Brooks says the No. 3 Bruins (4-0) won’t be intimidated by the trip, they will be facing stronger teams than they played at the UCLA Invitational last weekend.
Brooks highlighted No. 20 Pacific University as a potential threat, saying the team “plays a bit of a different style,” which may be hard for the Bruins to adjust to. The Bruins will also play No. 14 Cal State Northridge, No. 16 UCSB and Cal State Monterey Bay.
“I think (the upcoming games) are going to be a little more challenging for us, but I’m excited to see how we do,” said O’Brien.
The Bruins seem to be using the first few games of the season to figure out the specifics of their game. Both Kodi Hill and O’Brien said they learned a lot last weekend and during this week’s practices.
Kodi Hill said she has been working on her passing throughout the week, while O’Brien said she was still adjusting to the faster pace of collegiate water polo.
Brooks also saw the team improving.
“I thought last weekend was good, but we have a long way to improve. We’re capable of making great strides,” he said.
He specifically highlighted the team’s counterattack and 6-on-5 offense as areas the team looked to improve.
With a tournament at rival Stanford looming on the horizon, this weekend may be the last chance UCLA has to work on its game before facing some of the top teams in the country.