photo credit to Catharyn Hayne/NCAA Photography
UPCOMING MATCHES
Match Notes
UCSB Gaucho Invite
No. 5 UC Irvine Anteaters vs. No. 8 San Jose State Spartans
Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 / 10:10 AM
Santa Barbara, Calif.
No. 5 UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars
Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 / 4:30 PM
Santa Barbara, Calif.
SEASONS GREETINGS
Another season of women's water polo will begin this week with expectations as high as ever.
The Anteaters finished the 2015 season fifth place in the nation according to the CWPA national rankings and backed up by a fifth place finish in the NCAA Tournament. The national ranking of fifth is the highest the Anteaters have ever finished. The preseason rankings revealed UCI remained the No. 5 team in the nation, a mark the program has never attained in the preseason.
"It is always nice to know that the UCI Women's Water Polo Program is making progress," added Head Coach Dan Klatt, "but the preseason ranking means very little. When the season begins we will need to prove ourselves on a weekly basis. You are only as good as your latest result, and there is a long season ahead."
UC Irvine went 21-9 in 2015 marking the fifth straight season and sixth overall that the program recorded 20 or more wins while losing less than 10 matches.
Last year's tournament run was unprecedented as the 'Eaters earned a spot through an at-large bid, a first from a school outside of the MPSF, thanks to the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation and fourth toughest overall schedule.
The regular season captured 23 out of the 27 matches against ranked opponents and winning 15 of those. They also played 20 matches away from home, going 15-5, and played 11 true road matches winning eight in the process.
The 2016 schedule is shaping up to be equally as difficult. The home slate is bumped up from seven to nine matches as the team invites UCLA and San Diego State in along with four matches as part of the UC Irvine Invitational invite. Big West home matches include CSUN, UC Santa Barbara, and Long Beach State.
To top it off, coach Klatt will also be fulfilling duties as assistant coach of the U.S. National Team during its Olympic year.
"Although I will be forced to miss a few games due to qualification for the Olympic Games, our team won't miss a beat. We are fortunate to have a great staff at UC Irvine. These ladies have shown great maturity, and respond well to our highly-qualified assistant coaches. The team has been supportive of my involvement with the US team throughout the entire quad. The biggest challenge will be my own because I hate missing anything."
POOL PLAY
The Anteater defense was the story of 2015 allowing just 196 goals, shutting out opponents for an entire quarter 22 times, eight times to open the match, and four times in an entire half putting together a pair of 20-minute scoreless stretches.
The core of the Anteaters return with two seniors heading the way in Emily Carlson and Hanna Lancaster.
"The leadership from our seniors has been extraordinary thus far. Each team is unique, and this year's seniors have helped create a culture where the team sees improvement on a daily basis and enjoys their time together in and out of the water. The best part about it is that it wasn't forced. I didn't ask them or coach them to be good leaders, they just stepped up and did it. That is maturity, and that is what we need from our team's veteran leadership."
Carlson and Lancaster are at the forefront of that defensive force, and will have a new face behind them in net in Annika Nelson who is fully capable of keeping the bar high that was set by all-time matches played leader and All-American Jillian Yocum.
"Annika has been patiently waiting for this opportunity, and I am excited for people to see what she can do. The team has supreme confidence in her ability to lead our defense."
The other impact departure is Big West Player of the Year and scoring leader Danielle Warde. With McKenna Mitchell, Cambria Shockley, and Kelsey Thornton taking redshirt years, the scoring will need to come from other areas.
"Aside from our seniors, we expect everyone in our program to lead in some way. Everyone has something to offer, and I want to make sure they feel empowered to lead when it is their time."
The sophomore attack force led by Mary Brooks, Natalie Seidemann, and Julie Swieca will be called upon. Versatile scorers Mackenzie Milham and Destene Albers have been consistent on the stat sheet, and will have an added responsibility entering their junior seasons.
OPENING SPRINTS
The season begins with a two-match day in the midst of the UCSB Gaucho Invite in Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Leading off is No. 8 San Jose State, an MPSF school that fought hard with the Anteaters for last year's at-large bid. UCI got the better of SJSU, 9-6, in last season's Stanford Invite opener. After a fifth place finish in the MPSF and a 21-10 record, the Spartans have had a large turnover in 2016.
Four of their five leading scorers have departed save for senior Rae Lekness. She poured in 66 goals last season, and has 16 thus far through four matches that includes three five-goal matches. Junior Cara Robinson and sophomore McKenna Yates return with some firepower, while freshmen Sierra Painter and Carla Toha Vilanova have already paid dividends.
A cycle of three keepers have seen time with sophomore Tayler Peters getting an extra look, even stopping five shots in the squad's 10-5 loss to top-ranked Stanford.
The late match on Saturday will be against Azusa Pacific University in a first meeting between them. APU went 10-17 in 2015 with notable results coming as a win over Cal Baptist and a one-goal defeat to San Diego State. Senior Alba Espinar returns from her 44-goal season complimented by senior Maryann Slama and sophomore Ashley Taylor. Senior goalie Katie Margot had 199 saves in 24 matches last season.
_________________________________________________________________
For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and by downloading the UCI Front Row app, available free to all Anteater fans through iTunes and Google Play, to view schedules, results, and up-to-the-minute news.
