Today the UCLA women’s water polo team will begin a difficult, three-week postseason stretch in Tempe, Ariz., at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship. A third-straight national title, possibly the school’s 100th, could lie at the end of the road for the Bruins.
But the No. 2 Bruins (22-2, 11-1 MPSF) are taking it one game at a time, trying to avoid becoming the second straight victim of the underdog Long Beach State 49ers (8-16, 4-9).
“You definitely don’t want to go into this tournament lackadaisical; there are going to be some upsets,” senior Kacy Kunkel said.
UCLA was almost certain it would be facing the No. 6 Cal Golden Bears (10-11, 6-7), but the 10th-seeded 49ers pulled off a shocking 12-9 victory Thursday. Long Beach State struggled this season while its two top scorers Marina and Cecilia Canetti played for the Brazilian National Team.
The 49ers suffered their worst loss of the season in March at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, losing 21-3 without the Canettis. They returned in April and Marina has been a force, scoring four goals to propel Long Beach State past Cal on Thursday.
“They are playing for their postseason lives,” UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said. “We don’t have that sense of urgency.”
The Bruins have all but locked up a No. 2 seed in May’s NCAA Tournament. Even with a win in Tempe, they won’t be able to pass No. 1 Stanford (23-1, 12-0) for the top seed because they lost twice to the Cardinal this season.
Long Beach State is in the exact opposite situation, needing four miracle wins this weekend to guarantee a berth in the NCAA Tournament it is hosting in May.
“It’s going to be a really big challenge for us,” senior goalkeeper Emily Feher said. “(Long Beach State) is going to put it all on the line; really they have nothing to lose, they have to win. It will be a physical game, they’re going to play with a lot of heart, and that’s hard to go against.”
The competition won’t get any easier for UCLA after Long Beach State.
Barring any upsets, UCLA would face No. 3 USC in the semifinals Saturday and Stanford in the title game on Sunday. The weekend could be a rehearsal for the NCAA Tournament, as the top three teams in the country battle for the MPSF crown.
“We have the toughest draw,” Krikorian said. “We’re going to get challenged in every game, we’re going to learn a lot that we can utilize in the NCAAs.”
UCLA is clearly focused and motivated, despite having little at stake this weekend.
“It’s a little bit different approach for us than for most of the teams in the tournament,” Feher said. “But I wouldn’t say it’s hard to be motivated. We’re competitors, we’re always going to compete regardless of the circumstance. We’re not even thinking about NCAAs right now.”
Fatigue will be another concern for UCLA and all the teams competing this weekend. The Bruins struggled in their last matchup March 10 in Tempe, and temperatures are once again expected to be in the high 90s.
“I’m worried about fatigue. We really need to keep hydrated and everything,” Kunkel said.
“But it always feels better when it’s hot outside and you can jump into a nice, cool pool.”
The Bruins will have a week off after the MPSF Tournament before the NCAA Championships in Los Alamitos. For now they’re concentrating on this weekend, not the lengthy trek to the national championship.
“This weekend is going to be the biggest challenge we’ve had so far this season,” Feher said. “We have to be really disciplined.”
BRUINS HONORED: Five Bruins were recognized by the MPSF this week. Redshirt senior Kelly Rulon and junior Jillian Kraus were named first team All-MPSF, senior Emily Feher and junior Courtney Mathewson were selected for the second team, and junior Brittany Rowe was given an honorable mention.