No. 1 women’s water polo continues to blow rivals out of the water in conference play
With UCLA water polo’s 6-5 victory over No. 3 USC on Saturday, the Bruins are currently on track to play in the NCAA Championships in May.
By Andrew Erickson
March 5, 2012 11:57 p.m.
Senior goalkeeper Caitlin Dement finished the Bruin’s 6-5 win over USC on Saturday with 11 saves and was recently named KAP7 MPSF Player of the Week.
It’s only March, and the UCLA women’s water polo team could have already seen its most dramatic matches of the season.
A 6-5 victory over No. 3 USC on Saturday marked the team’s third consecutive one-goal game and its third consecutive fourth-quarter win.
In their second Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game of the season, the Bruins were able to fight back against a tough Trojan squad. Trailing 5-4 after three quarters of play, No. 1 UCLA (13-1, 2-0 MPSF) netted two goals in the fourth quarter to come back and defeat the Trojans (11-3, 1-1) 6-5.
After a surprising 4-0 finish at the star-studded UC Irvine Invitational two weekends ago, UCLA put down its crosstown foe for a second straight weekend behind two goals apiece from junior attacker Gisselle Naranjo and senior attacker Hannah Sebenaler.
Confidence resulting from these recent wins will serve the Bruins well in the coming weeks, as they face the brunt of a grueling MPSF schedule that includes six of the top-15 teams in the country.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win games if you want to be successful,” coach Brandon Brooks said. “To be right there with the top teams, if we can beat them, is fantastic. I think (winning) should tell the players that what they’re working on is correct and how they’re practicing is correct.”
UCLA’s next four conference games will be crucial in determining its postseason eligibility and seeding. Having lost only one game this season, the Bruins are currently on track to play in the NCAA Championships in May.
“We’re all stoked, happy and excited that we’re doing so well, and I think it’s just a great reward for all the hard work that we’ve put in the past two weeks during practices,” senior goalkeeper Caitlin Dement said. “It just feels really good to actually see all of our pain and suffering being rewarded.”
No. 1 ranking
Following their defeat of then-No.1 Stanford and No. 2 USC at the UC Irvine Invitational, the Bruins earned their first No. 1 ranking in several years.
“I’ve never been ranked No. 1 the entire time that I’ve been here at UCLA, so it feels awesome to defend it for two weeks now,” Dement said. “Everyone’s going to try to defend it for the rest of the season, and I think it’s just that much more reward for all the hard work we’ve put in at practice.”
Though the Bruins intend to maintain the top ranking for the rest of the season, they will continue to stay humble and focus on new MPSF opponents each week.
“The polls are nice, and it makes you feel good at times, but that has nothing to do with how we play,” Brooks said. “Whether we’re ranked No. 10 in the country or No. 1 in the country, it’s not going to change how we play.”
Back in Westwood
Following two conference games and one tournament on the road, UCLA will be returning home to the Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday to face No. 12 San Jose State.
The Spartans will be the lowest ranked conference opponent the Bruins will have faced so far, but their preparation and demeanor remain unchanged.
“We should be confident, but we shouldn’t be overconfident,” senior attacker Sarah Orozco said. “We have to respect the process and other teams as well.”
