By Susana Zialcita
Daily Bruin Contributor
When the UCLA women’s water polo team meets up with USC
today, there is more at stake than a mere cross-town rivalry. The
game determines which team in the Mountain Pacific Conference will
earn the at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Trojans pulled out an upset win over Stanford last weekend,
putting the them atop the conference at 8-0. The Bruins are second
at 7-1 and the Cardinals, third, at 5-1.
“Whoever loses the game on Friday must win the conference
tournament to play in the NCAA tournament,” Bruin head coach
Adam Krikorian said. “We are competing for the best position
to get that at-large bid.”
The Bruins won the last meeting 4-2, as the Bruin defense
stopped the strong Trojan offense. The team prepared to meet the
same challenge in today’s match.
“Their shooting is their biggest strength,” Jody
Schmidt said. “They’re also very physical, and we
can’t let that take us out of our game.”
The Bruins will also call on their depth to give them an
advantage in speed and endurance.
“We are a lot deeper than they are,” center defender
Devon McIntyre said.
“That will make it a game of conditioning. They basically
play only six players, so we have to wear them out.”
“We are in really good condition for the game,”
added playmaker Leah Wilson, “so we need to set the pace
throughout all four quarters and keep the momentum throughout the
entire game.”
The rivalry between the teams should stir things up a bit,
especially for the seniors on the team.
“It’s the last ‘SC game,” Eleanor Murphy
said. “The game is always a good game between the two teams,
there is so much emotion. The win belongs to who wants it
more.”
To add fire to the rivalry, the game seems to be a version of a
“U.S. vs. the World” all-star game. Five of the seven
Trojan starters come from Hungary, Russia, Germany or Yugoslavia.
With the exception of Kelly Heuchan, who is from Australia, all of
the Bruin starting lineup has competed for the U.S.; five as
members of the Junior National team and one as a member of the
Sydney Olympic team.
On Saturday, Wilson and teammate Maureen Flanagan will get a
chance to play in home waters as the Bruins travel to play
Hawai’i. Hawai’i is seventh in the conference and
dropped a 5-2 decision to UC San Diego last weekend.