Water polo looks to win conference
By Chris Furnari
The Santa Clara women's water polo team has its mind set on winning their conference.
After finishing third behind U.C. Davis and Loyola Marymount in last year's conference standings, the Bronco women are hoping to win the conference and improve on their national ranking in the 2007 season.
"We have a pretty well balanced team," said head coach Keith Wilbur. "But I am looking at the team captains as a big part of what we are trying to do this year."
Despite finishing 15th in the national rankings last year, the Broncos were ranked only 17th for the 2007 season, something which they are already improving on.
The women dropped their first contest of the season this past weekend to 11th ranked San Jose State, but bounced back with an upset victory over 12th ranked Hartwick in Monterey.
"It was a good start to the season for sure," said Wilbur. "Last year it took us until halfway through the season to get a win like that, so this is huge for us."
Wilbur credits the team's ability to learn from mistakes, and make changes as a main reason for their success.
Of course, winning is not a main concern of Wilbur's. In fact, Wilbur actually prefers a tougher preseason schedule as a means of preparing for the level of play Santa Clara will experience in the conference.
"The record is not as important as playing good competition," said Wilbur. "In order to match up well in league play you have to play tough teams throughout the year."
The Broncos will be doing just that, as the women face their toughest preseason match ups in Wilbur's time as head coach. They will be traveling to major tournaments in San Diego, Irvine and Davis, all places where some of the best programs in the nation will be competing.
"There are about 16 teams at the Irvine tournament, and all 16 will be ranked in the top 20," said Wilbur.
Competition has been so tough in recent years that the Broncos have not been able to gain entrance to the tournament. This year marks the first year the Broncos have been able to compete in Irvine.
Wilbur, however, remains confident, pointing to both senior leadership and young talent as their biggest advantage in tough games.
"I am really counting on my senior captains this year," said Wilbur. "I think we are at a point where we can compete with the top teams in our conference, and they will be a big part of that."
Andrea Evans, Katie Radvanyi and Kristin Barnes are the three captains that will be leading a group of talented women this season.
"We have been training a lot harder this year," said Evans. "Now that we are working harder and have better depth, we think we can knock a few teams off this year."
The Broncos began training in the fall, which culminated in November scrimmages against U.C. Davis, Arizona State and San Jose State.
The Broncos held their own versus Davis, despite missing key players due to injury and the study abroad program.
"The tie against Davis in November gave us the confidence to know that we can beat them again," said Evans.
Evans also points to some notable players that may surprise people this year.
"Freshman Jenny Knutson has really been stepping up," said Evans. "She reacts to things really quickly, which will be a big help for us this year."
Evans also pointed to Meg Zimmerman and Claire Linney as integral parts of the Broncos' offense this season.
The Broncos are picked third in the preseason Western Water Polo Association polls. The women will have to beat tough teams at both Loyola Marymount and U.C. Davis if they hope to top the rankings this season. Both teams return very strong squads and pose the biggest threat in the Broncos quest for a championship.
The Broncos will have five home games this season, the biggest of which will come against Princeton, on March 23. Last year, Santa Clara upset Princeton 12-4.
"It's going to be a night game played under the new lights," said Wilbur. "It should be pretty cool and I hope everyone comes out to watch."
Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.