They may compete in the water, but the freshmen members of the women’s water polo team were thrown into the proverbial fire over the weekend at the Bruins’ season-opening tournament at the University of Michigan.
The eight first-year players will be counted on to help ease the loss of a stellar graduating class, and the freshmen got their first taste of collegiate action in Michigan.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking at first,” rookie attacker Hannah Sebenaler said. “The older girls gave us a lot of help and support, and we just try the best we can to do little things like give them passes when and where they need to be.”
Sebenaler was one of four freshmen to register a goal in the opening weekend, tallying in each of the team’s victories over Bucknell and Michigan. KK Clark scored four times, including a team-high three against Bucknell, and Randi Bresee and Sarah Orozco each scored twice. Meanwhile, freshman goalie Caitlin Dement saw action in goal during the Bruins’ 17-0 shutout of Bucknell.
Collectively the newcomers earned the praise of coach Adam Krikorian, who said that although “things were a little nervous, a little shaky,” that was to be understood and he was generally pleased with their effort.
“For the most part, they were really good defensively,” he said. “That’s been the main focus, so as long they’re doing that, these freshmen are going to get the opportunity to play.”
That opportunity was not lost on players like Clark, who got a chance to see significant playing time.
“I’m really appreciative for all the time I got to play,” she said. “I was happy just to gain confidence with the rest of the team, just to get those miles under my belt.”
While encouraged by their opening performances, the freshmen realize that they have areas of their game to focus on during their initial season.
“I’d like to get stronger,” Sebenaler said. “Because I’m a smaller player, building that strength is really important. We’re all looking to build confidence as the season progresses.”
Clark concurs with the need to build confidence, and adds that she will look to improve her game on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m definitely looking to keep my defense up,” she said. “When we’re all playing good defense, that leads to all sorts of good things.”
BALANCE OF POWER NOT SO BALANCED: The trip to Michigan gave the Bruins a chance to face schools from the Midwestern and Eastern parts of the country, a rarity outside of the occasional tournament. The balance of power in collegiate women’s water polo has historically tilted toward the west. No team outside of California has ever made it to the championship game, and in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s preseason poll, only three schools east of the state of Arizona (Michigan, Hartwick (N.Y.), and Princeton) were ranked in the top 20. Michigan, at No. 10, fell to UCLA, 10-4, in the season-opening tournament.
Krikorian believes that the reason for the one-sidedness comes down to simply the number of good players.
“The biggest discrepancy in location is the distribution of talent,” he said. “That being said, I think that schools like Michigan and Indiana are making tremendous progress, and while they’re not up to the top three or four teams in the country, they could give a lot of teams a run for their money.”
EARLY SEASON HONORS FOR GANDY: UCLA senior Tanya Gandy received recognition on Monday following her performance in the Michigan Invitational, earning co-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week honors along with Addison McGrath of Arizona State.
Gandy led the Bruins with nine goals in the tournament, scoring three in each game, and earning some levelheaded approval from her coach.
“Tanya definitely played good this weekend,” Krikorian said. “However, like all of our seniors, she is going to have play even better if we want to be as successful as possible.”