Women’s water polo narrows focus within star-studded UCI Invitational

Often in the sports arena, we hear the expression “one game at a time.” Athletes and coaches are extremely aware of the impact each and every game has on their season and how important it is to focus on what is directly ahead.

The UCLA women’s water polo team is keeping this in mind as it heads into this weekend’s UCI Invitational, a round-robin tournament that will pit UCLA against four top-25 teams over two days.

For the Bruins to find success in this format, it will likely be key for them to focus on one opponent at a time, and not look ahead to the winners bracket.

No. 2 UCLA (10-1) will kick off its four-game weekend Saturday morning, with a first-round game against No. 18 Loyola Marymount (7-3). The Bruins will then have to prepare for a second game at 1 p.m. against either No. 11 UC San Diego (6-7) or No. 7 Hawai’i (5-2), depending on the results of the first round.

The tournament includes the other three teams in the nation’s top four: No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 USC and No. 4 Cal. UCLA already defeated the No. 5 team in the country – UC Irvine – last week.

The Bruins said they are excited for the possibility of playing the crosstown rival Trojans for the first time this year, which could potentially take place Sunday. But coach Brandon Brooks said he relishes the opportunity to play any top-ranked teams, whether they are from across town or not. The UCI Invitational certainly provides Brooks’ team with that chance.

“Any top quality opponent that we can play, that’s good for us and we need it to find out where we need to get better and how much better we need to get,” Brooks said.

However, the team said it is careful not to get too ahead of themselves. Brooks said the Bruins need to take each game as it comes and play every opponent to the best of their ability. Before UCLA has any chance at a crosstown rivalry matchup, it must focus on defeating a tough LMU Lions team as well as either Hawaii or UC San Diego Saturday afternoon.

In order to achieve these victories, the team has been focusing primarily on improving its offensive execution. Brooks said that the Bruins need to force their opponents to work harder on defense and make better shots throughout the game.

Junior attacker Rachel Fattal, the reigning MPSF Player of the Week, said her team is entering this weekend’s tournament with a lot of energy and excitement.

UCLA’s energy will certainly be put to use. In an invitational format where the team is faced with playing multiple games in one weekend, it is crucial that every player carries her own weight and that they play together as a group.

“It is important that we get contributions from our whole team and that we are able to use our depth,” Brooks said.

There is no doubt this invitational provides UCLA with a strong chance to grow as a team. Junior attacker Kodi Hill said it is the last tournament of the regular season, making it the last opportunity to get experience playing multiple games in one weekend before postseason.

“It’s just going to be a lot of learning experiences and I think we’re ready to go,” Hill said.