Expectations are high for the 2011 ASU water polo team, which is boasting the most talented group it has had in years.
The excitement is obvious and an appearance in the NCAA tournament is expected, ASU coach Todd Clapper said.
“I think this is our strongest team from top to bottom,” Clapper said. “Our expectations are always to get to the NCAA tournament and I think it can be a really good year for us.”
That feeling goes beyond the coach.
“In the four years that I’ve been here, this is by far the most talented team and the team with the most potential,” senior Candice Phillippe said. “I’ve never been on a team that has had such close friendships in and out of the pool and I think that’s going to be big for us this season.”
While the Sun Devils are optimistic about their season, others seem to doubt them, ranking the team seventh in the preseason Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
ASU was voted ahead of only San Diego State in the conference, but Clapper feels the Sun Devils are a better team and are often overlooked in the polls.
“I don’t know that we typically get a lot of credit from the pollsters [because we are] outside of California,” Clapper said. “The Irvine tournament at the end of February is when the pollsters start paying attention more.”
Part of the reason the Sun Devils are ranked so low in the coaches’ poll is the strength of the MPSF Conference. The top four seeds in last year’s NCAA tournament were all from the MPSF, and an MPSF team has won the women’s water polo championship every year since 2001.
While Clapper mentioned that the rigors of the conference schedule can be tough, it is also a great challenge that keeps the team focused at all times.
“It’s stressful because every game is tough, [but] this team is pretty special,” Clapper said. “They’re looking forward to all these challenges.”
Among those anticipating the new season is senior Nikki Unbehaun, who is currently tenth on the ASU career goals list.
“I want to play well [and] leave on a good note,” Unbehaun said.
While Unbehaun wants to succeed personally, she is just as concerned about the success of her teammates.
“Seeing young girls improve and [being able] to tell them something I’ve learned and seeing them do that in the pool [is] going to be just as important as seeing myself succeed in the pool,” Unbehaun said.
Phillippe also knows how important leadership will be to the success of the team this season.
“Throughout the years I’ve seen older girls lead the team,” Phillippe said. “It’s cool to be a senior and have people look up to you, and I just want to be there for everyone.”
While leadership is certainly important and will help the Sun Devils, they are already an experienced team.
There are two freshman goalies, but the majority of the team is returning from 2010. Clapper has been impressed with the freshmen and acknowledged they are getting better each day.
The team boasts players from around the world, but freshman Paige Hacker out of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix is the only local player. Hacker is also the first Arizona native ever to play for the Sun Devils.
This season the Sun Devils will rely on Phillippe, Unbehaun and sophomore Shannon Haas, who scored 47 goals last year. Her goal total was the second-most by a freshman in ASU history.
The water polo season does not officially begin until the Stanford Invitational on February 5, but the team will scrimmage against the Canadian National team on January 24, 25 and 26 in Tempe at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu.
