No. 2 Stanford visiting for rematch
By Sara Salam
March 6, 2008 11:19 p.m.
For the second time in two weeks, UCLA and Stanford will meet in a highly anticipated No. 1 versus No. 2 duel, an exchange destined to be marked by high-quality skill and execution.
UCLA defeated Stanford 8-7 in sudden-victory overtime at the UC Irvine Invitational on Feb. 24, the culmination of a four-game set that spanned two days of back-to-back competition.
The terms and conditions for this weekend, however, are a little different.
Meeting Stanford in the finals of tournament play resulted in limited time for strategizing and game-planning.
This time, preparation will play a leading role.
“When you play someone in the fourth game of a tournament, you have two or three hours to prepare, and now we have a whole week to prepare,” coach Adam Krikorian said.
Following the one-game interlude that came against UC Santa Barbara last weekend, the Bruins have since been keeping with their strenuous workout regimen and assembling a game plan aimed specifically at slowing down the Cardinal offense.
Yet consistency is prized, especially in respect to the Bruins’ defensive style of play.
“Our game plan and our style of play is never really going to change. We’re a team that’s always based around our defense,” Krikorian said.
Minor adjustments, however, will be made accordingly.
Senior Gabrielle Domanic said that having seen Stanford already once this season has enhanced the team’s expectations in terms of what its opposition will dish out and how to counter the attack.
“I think we could be a little more aggressive because we were pushed out really far on our offense,” Domanic said. “Their movement caught us off guard. We can expect that now, and we’re prepared for it.”
UCLA and Stanford’s playing styles are very similar, a caveat that will make this contest all the more intense.
“In terms of our talent, ability and competitiveness and speed, we’re pretty similar,” Krikorian said. “I think we may have a little bit more size than they do, and they probably have players that are a little bit quicker, but we’ve always been pretty similar.”
Because of the striking resemblance between the teams’ styles of play, qualities beyond physical strength and agility will become factors in how the contest plays out. Krikorian points out that a strong mentality becomes necessary in such high-level competition.
“(Mental toughness) is everything,” Krikorian said. “We know they’re not going to back down. They’ve got great competitors.”
After being on the road for 12 consecutive games, the team is looking forward to performing in front of the home crowd, especially in light of all the hype surrounding the match.
“It’s always fun whenever we play here,” Krikorian said. “In water polo you don’t have too many home games, so you’ve got to cherish the ones that you have, especially the big ones like Cal or Stanford or USC.”
Game time was originally slated for 1 p.m., but due to the men’s basketball early afternoon game the time was pushed back to 3 p.m.
“There’s going to be a lot going on on campus in terms of sporting events on Saturday,” Krikorian said. “Hopefully we can get a little spillage from the basketball game coming up here (to Sunset Canyon Recreation Center) to check out the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.”
On Sunday, the Bruins will play host to San Jose State at Sunset Canyon. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
