The NCAA Tournament is really nothing new for the UCLA women’s water polo team. The Bruins have won the past two titles and bring a veteran lineup to this weekend’s tournament.
But this time the Bruins (25-2) will be playing in Southern California, unlike previous years when they and their fans were forced to travel. Long Beach State will host the event just 30 miles from Westwood. The UCLA team is expecting a solid crowd and plenty of friends and family in attendance.
“I hope (the location is a factor); we’d like to get as many fans there as possible,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “I know the girls get excited, there’s a little bit of a different energy level when you got a lot of people watching.”
The NCAA Tournament has been held in Northern California over the past two years, last year at UC Davis and the year before at Stanford. The Los Alamitos venue will be a benefit to No. 2 seed UCLA, but it will also provide an advantage to No. 3 seed USC. The limited seating at the Long Beach State Pool may force the Bruin and Trojan fans to cram into the seats if they meet Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the place only holds about 1,500; it could be a packed house,” Krikorian said. “Obviously USC is just as close, so they’ll have a good crowd too.”
The location of the tournament is optimal for the Bruin team because most of the women grew up in Southern California. Only Kamaile Crowell and Melissa Mordell are from outside the area. Crowell is from Hawaii and Mordell grew up in Portola Valley.
Some of the Bruins will be facing former high school teammates this weekend as well. No high school is as involved as Foothills High School in Santa Ana, which has five graduates in the tournament. Emily Feher, Jillian Kraus and Gabrielle Domanic all starred there before coming to UCLA, along with top Trojan scorer Brittany Hayes and Stanford freshman Kelsey Holshouser.
The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 70s, which will also be a change for the Bruins. Last year the team won in blistering heat at UC Davis, and the Bruins’ win at the MPSF Championships was at Arizona State with temperatures in the upper 90s.
Fatigue would normally be a concern entering a three-day tournament as competitive as NCAAs, but Krikorian is confident that his team will have all the adrenaline it needs to endure the long weekend.
“There is a little bit of a physical (challenge) to it, but when it comes to NCAAs you’re playing for a championship so (fatigue) isn’t going to be a factor,” Krikorian said.
UCLA will face D-III Pomona-Pitzer on Friday at 1:30 p.m. to start the tournament. The Bruins beat the Sagehens 13-4 earlier this year at Sunset. After that they will most likely meet USC and vie for a fourth victory this season against their crosstown rivals.