Friday, May 8, 1998
UCLA is a shoo-in for the championship, but this team’s taking
it day by day
WATER POLO: UCLA is a shoo-in for the championship, but this
team’s taking it day by day
By Steve Kim
Daily Bruin Staff
The final tournament of the season, the collegiate national
championship, has arrived, and the UCLA women’s water polo team is
welcoming it with open arms. The Bruins have every reason to be
excited since they are the two-time defending national champions
and the favorite to take it again this year.
All this talk about three-peating hasn’t gotten the Bruins out
of focus. They approach the tournament, which starts today at the
USC McDonald’s Swim Stadium, with a step-by-step mentality.
"We can’t get ahead of ourselves," UCLA head coach Guy Baker
said. "Chances are good that we’re going to make it to the
championship game on Sunday, and hopefully win the whole thing, but
we’re trying not to take it for granted."
Coaches know best. And the players have subsequently taken
Baker’s game plan seriously.
"Right now, we have to remember we have three more games before
we get to the championship game," defender Mandy McAloon said.
"We’re not looking to play in the championship game. We’re looking
to play the first two games today, and then get into the
semi-finals Saturday. If you look ahead too far, you forget what’s
going on at the moment."
The Bruins boast a nearly undefeated season, with a 31-1 record
and a consistent No. 1 ranking. They feature a score of
championship veterans, including junior Coralie Simmons, who leads
the team in scoring with 65 points. Goalkeeper and team captain
Nicolle Payne will play in her final collegiate competition, and
many want to see this senior sensation go out with a bang.
"This tournament will be special because it’s Nicolle’s last
year," junior Catharine von Schwarz said. "You lose seniors every
year, and she’s such a vital part of the team, having been the
captain for four years. We all want to win for ourselves but we
want to have Nicolle go out as a winner as well."
Their quest for the third-straight national title starts today
when they play University of Maryland (this game will be played at
Long Beach State) and UC Santa Barbara. With Maryland ranked No. 9
and UCSB at No. 8, the preliminaries shouldn’t pose too much of a
challenge.
The tournament will continue Saturday, as the winners of the
previous day duke it out for a spot in the final championship game
at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The challenge for the Bruins can come from top teams in the
other three brackets – Stanford (No. 2), Cal (No. 3) or University
of Hawaii (No. 4). All three teams have been beaten by the Bruins,
although Cal did beat UCLA by a point early in the season. Cal,
however, has taken a blow from the suspension of its head coach.
Stanford has stepped up to become UCLA’s biggest rival, but it will
take a little more than their best game to come up on top.
All previous records point to one strong prediction for this
year’s champions – the UCLA Bruins. The coaches and players are
aware of it, but they are the last to jump the gun and celebrate
before the fact.
"It has nothing to do with the last two years," Baker said. "The
team is different each year and this is a chance for the ’98 team
to win the championship. We’re not trying to win a third
championship – this team’s trying to win its first."
"We’ve talked about it and we don’t like to compare seasons at
all," McAloon said. "Obviously the expectations are there to win
the championship, but we don’t feel any pressure to win this year
just because we won the last two."
Although the team has won the national title in the last two
years, the collegiate national championship is a brand-new
experience for freshman players. For them, this is a chance to win
their very first.
"I feel nervous but confident," freshman Kristin Guerin said.
"We’ve been playing really well in practice the last few days. I’m
really excited."
Coming into a team with high standards and a tradition of
excellence, Guerin expects this year to be of the same caliber.
"In order to do well, you have to expect you’re going to do
well," she said. "We play as if we want to win but we can’t play
like we’ve already won."
The Bruins have done everything they could to prepare for this
weekend. Now, it’s time to see how much of the work is paying
off.
"From my perspective it’s the most fun time of the year," Baker
said. "There’s the normal anxiety and nervousness but
pressure-wise, no. Everything else has been just getting ready for
this moment, so finally, we get to the fun part."
But that doesn’t mean this championship tournament will be a
breeze. Their impeccable record may suggest winning comes easy. It
doesn’t.
"It’s not easy," von Schwarz said. "Because we’ve been at the
top for so long, every team wants to beat us. When they play us, we
get their best and hardest game."
Just three more days. Then they’ll see who’s on top.
"Winning it two years in a row was hard enough," McAloon said,
"but winning it three years in a row would be incredible."
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Freshman Michelle Lee is just one of many talented players who
have helped UCLA make it to the NCAA tourney with a No. 1
ranking.