With only four losses, the UCLA women’s water polo team has had a very strong year, resulting in its No. 2 ranking going into the NCAA tournament.
The Bruins’ losses however, have come at the hands of some fierce competition. They have lost three times to No. 1 Stanford and once to No. 3 USC. As a result of their most recent loss to Stanford, they finished the year second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The team, according to senior utility player Becca Dorst, is still in high spirits despite the loss and its second-place tournament finish.
“We are disappointed, but we are not shaken. We are totally excited for the next two weeks and for NCAAs,” Dorst said.
In the NCAA tournament ahead, the team will need to be prepared to face competition like Stanford. Dorst noted how good of a team Stanford was and the opportunity that the game presented to them.
“Every time we are presented with an opportunity we usually come prepared. Stanford is a great team and they give us great competition, so it’s really great to see how well we are doing in relation to them,” Dorst said.
Coach Brandon Brooks said he thinks that this level of competition is great for the team. He said that it allows the team to grow and get better.
“I think it’s fantastic. We have a lot of younger players; we play eight underclassmen, and every game with this level of competition helps us tremendously,” Brooks said.
Brooks believes that there is just a little bit more the team needs to do ahead of NCAAs. He expects that after the loss to Stanford and the second-place finish, the team will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
“I think there is no way we should be too far down after that game (against Stanford). That’s ultimately why you play sports: It’s to play in games like that. We have got to focus on certain situations and just being a little bit better,” Brooks said.
Junior attacker Emily Donohoe also said competition like Stanford is great preparation for the upcoming NCAA tournament.
“Each game you take you try to get better, and ultimately it is preparing us for NCAAs, so each game is important. Each game helps us in the long run too,” Donohoe said.
The NCAA tournament will begin on May 9 and run through May 11.