W.polo: Squad faces challenges of youth

The pool is looking more like a fountain of youth this season
for the UCLA women’s water polo team. After winning a
national championship with a senior-laden squad last year, this
year’s roster consists of eight freshmen and seven
sophomores.

Because key players, including All-Americans Natalie Golda and
Kelly Rulon, are taking the year off from UCLA to play on the U.S.
Olympic team, this year’s squad is very different compared to
the group that won the championship last year.

Though new faces sport the blue and gold, old standards and
expectations are still present.

“We want to win,” said coach Adam Krikorian.
“The goal is the same and always will be the same here, plain
and simple. This is a dynasty. We have a reputation to uphold, and
I expect these girls to do that.”

With over half of the 15-player roster still transitioning
between high school and collegiate level competition, it will take
a while for team members to get to know each other in and out of
the pool and be able to put themselves in a position to be
successful this year.

“The college game is a lot more fast paced and aggressive
with girls that are a lot bigger,” said freshman Molly
Cahill.”

Still, team members are optimistic and refuse to use their youth
as a justification for any future woes.

“I’m excited, I don’t think our youth is an
excuse,” said sophomore co-captain Kristina Kunkel. “I
don’t think you can back down, we just have to work a lot
harder. We want to prove some stuff.”

The season got under way for the Bruins (3-1) on Feb. 7 in Palo
Alto at the Stanford Invitational. The then-No. 1 Bruins tested the
waters for the first time in defense of their national title. After
three victories against teams they expected to beat (Hawai’i,
California and Santa Clara) followed by a crushing 12-4 loss in the
championship game against then-No. 2 USC, Krikorian is interested
in how this team will come together.

“I have no idea of the personality of this team,”
Krikorian said. “I’ve never been a part of a team that
is this young, and have never even heard of a team put together
like this in any other sport.”

Krikorian was very pleased with the effort and toughness his
young team displayed. Down early during their first two matches,
the team showed a lot of maturity overcoming the deficits and
coming out on top.

“They did a great job keeping their composure and not
panicking. We kept our heads in it, continued to plug away and
fought until we came up with the victories, Krikorian
said.”

Though the coach was proud of his team’s composure, he may
have lost his at one point during the team’s loss to USC. In
that game, Krikorian, already upset with how his team was playing,
had some words with an official concerning a questionable call in
the third quarter and was promptly ejected.

One bright spot out of the disappointing end was Kunkel, the
source of leadership for this inexperienced squad. Last year,
Kunkel displayed a lot of potential by ending the season with 18
goals and 16 steals. During the championship match, Kunkel scored
two goals for the Bruins.

“[Kristina] is in a tough spot being only a sophomore, but
she has a tremendous amount of maturity,” Krikorian said.
“As a sophomore, she understands the game, she knows what
needs to be done in order to be successful.”

Along with Kunkel, fellow captain, sophomore Lauren Heineck,
will also be looked on to play a major role in the team’s
fight for success. Heineck tallied 16 goals and 23 steals last
season and returns with moderate experience.

Krikorian will still have to rely on his eight freshmen to step
into the forefront of the team and maintain the prestige of the
program. Molly Cahill, the 2003 high-school All-American comes in
used to winning, as she led Santa Barbara High to CIF championships
for three out of the four years she was there. Cahill is looked to
distribute and setup her teammates as she led Santa Barbara in
career assists.

“We’re going to have to rely on everyone and every
single person has to be responsible for preparing themselves and
this team this season in order for us to be successful,”
Krikorian said.

As the new season polls came out, UCLA dropped down to No. 2 in
the country with rival USC taking the top spot. Along with the
Trojans, the Bruins will have to compete hard against No. 3
Stanford and No. 4 Long Beach State for high seeds in the NCAA
tournament.