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For Bruin water polo team, defense is the key to success

Redshirt freshman utility Chris Wendt makes a move against USC Oct. 3. Wendt and No. 3 UCLA will take on No. 5 UC Irvine at Spieker Aquatics Center Saturday.

Men’s Waterpolo
UC Irvine
Saturday, 6 p.m.
Spieker Aquatics Center

No. 3 UCLA tries to take down No. 5 UC Irvine, undefeated in the MPSF, in the Bruins' fourth conference game of the year.

By Daily Bruin Staff

Oct. 22, 2010 1:17 a.m.

The UCLA men’s water polo team doesn’t have many more chances to prove itself.

The Bruins are nearly two-thirds of the way through their season, and a loss could derail any chances of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Add to it the fact that the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation boasts some upstart teams springing some big upsets, and it’s clear that navigating the waters of the MPSF will be tougher than in recent memory.

UCLA will have to avoid one of those upsets Saturday when it hosts UC Irvine at Spieker Aquatics Center.

Two weekends ago, the No. 3 Bruins (11-3, 2-1 MPSF) had a chance to see exactly what the No. 5 Anteaters (13-3, 2-0) are capable of when UCI took down Cal ““ now the No. 1 team in the country ““ in the SoCal Tournament on Oct. 2 at Spieker.

The Bruins were watching from the stands, so they did their homework and were able to take down the Anteaters the next day in a close 8-6 match.

But in their minds, that doesn’t do anything to temper the reality of how dangerous the Anteaters are.

“They’re very explosive,” redshirt freshman utility Chris Wendt said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that can post up on us, and a lot of guys that are really explosive offensively.”

UCLA displayed signs of renewed vigor in its thrilling win over Stanford Oct. 15, largely thanks to a defensive unit that was in sync throughout the game. Coach Adam Wright has been preaching defense all year ““ especially on the 5-on-6 and the counterattack ““ and limiting opponents on the scoreboard.

“That should be our goal, to try to limit teams,” Wright said. “If we can keep teams to six goals or less, we’re going to be in a good position to win.”

The real reason for the improvement in defense might be because Wright has his players buying into his philosophy. Wendt ““ a defensive specialist ““ seems to be on the same page as his coach, and has been rewarded with a spot in Wright’s starting six in recent games.

“Defense is definitely the backbone of the team,” Wendt said. “Everything that we do revolves around our defense, especially when we’re a man down. I’d say defense is pretty much the biggest focus of practice.”

The rivalry with UCI is one that presents itself only in the sport of water polo, with both teams seemingly always in the mix for MPSF and national titles. What might help UCLA the most Saturday is the fact that it gets to see UCI right after facing Stanford. Both teams have similar offenses predicated on constant movement.

“They all have the potential to go in and act as a 2-meter man,” Wright said. “So right off the counter, two, three guys might be going in and posting up, and we’re going to have to be ready for that.”

Continuing the success against a dangerous UC Irvine team will serve as a big confidence boost for the Bruins during the stretch run.

“Hopefully we’re prepared, as we prepared for Stanford that way,” Wright said.

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