The ASU water polo team swept its five-game season opener at the UCSB Winter Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif., this weekend.
The first game against UC Santa Barbara sparked the tenacious rhythm for the No. 6 Sun Devils (5-0). Senior Alicia Brightwell led ASU with four goals and senior Mariam Salloum followed with two in the third quarter. Senior Annabelle Carter promptly echoed with another two goals, while sophomore Ianeta Hutchinson dominated on defense with 10 saves against the Gauchos.
The win was secured when ASU tacked on four more goals, delivering the first win of the season, 12-7.
Saturday was also successful for the Sun Devils with victories against Santa Clara, 17–2, and UC Irvine, 9–8.
Coach Todd Clapper said he was happy particularly about the first half of the UC Irvine game.
“We had great defense and our offense was clicking,” Clapper said.
The Sun Devils started strong offensively with a 7-2 lead in the first half and closed out the win over the Anteaters.
Sunday was another day of great competition as ASU triumphed over CSU Bakersfield 15–5, and Concordia (Calif.), 16–7.
“We had a lot of different scorers and great passes,” Clapper said. “Defense was up and down over the weekend, but offense was really exciting at times.”
Clapper is optimistic and looks forward to the fact that the season is just getting started.
He realizes it’s typical for old habits to come out and the season opener was an opportunity for the team to see where they stand and what they need to focus on.
The team is placing an emphasis on becoming more comfortable with each other and studying its opponents.
Clapper said he was expecting the defense to come out as a real strength because that has been the prime element of the team’s practices.
“We have to get to the point it’s instinctive,” he said. “We got caught a few times not helping on defense because it isn’t second nature yet. We need to hammer that.”
However, Clapper is confident the team has a handle on what it needs to work on, and the players will continue to work hard and improve.
Seniors Mariam Salloum, Kelsey White and Annabelle Carter are all starting and have been stepping up and setting the bar for the rest of the team.
The freshmen and transfers are adjusting to ASU water polo and making quite an impact already, as seen with Brightwell earlier in the tournament.
Clapper said the team is extremely dedicated, but needs more discipline and time. The Sun Devils are excited to take away five wins from the winter invite, but they’re keeping their feet on the ground, focusing on the games ahead.
“We’re pleased, but not satisfied with the results,” Clapper said.
Reach the reporter at fawade@asu.edu
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