Water polo eager to outplay Trojans

Senior goaltender Jaime Hipp isn’t going out of her way to
prepare for USC.

“I just like to have my boba for the day as usual,”
she said.

Obviously, the sweet taste of victory is fresh in the
Bruins’ minds. 

Two weekends ago, the No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo team
defeated the Trojans 8-4 in the second round of the Stanford
Tournament. The Bruins (4-1, 1-0 MPSF) have an all-time record of
21-7 against their crosstown rivals, and are looking for a seventh
consecutive victory against them today at the Sunset Canyon
Recreation Center at 3 p.m.

“There is no better rivalry in women’s water polo.
Berkeley is not dominant enough to challenge Stanford and the
competitiveness of USC and UCLA makes it special,” Trojan
head coach Jovan Vavic said.

The bitter rivalry sparks aggressive play and once again,
defense will be the key to victory.

“They are a good team that plays with a lot of intensity.
It is up to us to overcome that energy and not give them
anything,” Hipp said.

“No soup for them.”

The Bruins have not allowed a goal in a quarter 10 times this
season and at least one quarter in all five games this season. Only
No. 1 Stanford and USC have tallied four goals in a game against
the Bruins.

Senior captain and center defender Robin Beauregard and freshman
center defender Lauren Heineck are playing solid defense. The
team’s goals against average is a stingy 2.40. Hipp has 27
saves allowing 12 goals in four games and a goals against average
of 3.20. The biggest surprise may be freshman goalkeeper Tahlia
Kerr, who has posted five scoreless quarters in net.

The two teams know each other well. Bruin practices leading up
to the rivalry game consist of game simulations, with the offense
mimicking plays out of the USC playbook.

Freshman Moriah Norman currently leads the Trojans in scoring
with 14 goals and will be a primary concern for head coach Adam
Krikorian.

“Moriah Norman is one of the best in the country and has a
very good shot at being an Olympian. She has stepped it up and is
producing like Amber Stachowski did as a freshman for UCLA last
year,” said Vavic.

2000 Olympian Sofia Konoukh, who is in her sixth year of
eligibility, is third on the Trojans’ lead scoring list with
10 goals. She was the MPSF player of the year in 2002, registering
70 goals and holds the USC school record of 103 goals in 2001.

“Sofia is the most experienced on our team. She means as
much to us as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant do to their teams. Take
them out (of the lineup) and it’s a different team,”
said Vavic.

USC has outscored opponents 78-37 this year, and the first
period is its most productive. In the first meeting, the Trojans
held a 2-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter before the
Bruins battled back. Vavic stresses the importance of limiting
unnecessary mistakes that could cost his team the game.

UCLA freshman Kelly Rulon had a hat trick and is currently tied
for the team lead with seven goals. She is among seven freshmen who
have consistently produced for Krikorian’s squad.

Seven straight victories against the Trojans or not, the Bruins
are eager to play after the bye week.

“We haven’t played against ‘SC (at home) in
two years. I look forward to the crowd,” said Hipp.