The ASU water polo team took seventh place at last weekend’s UC Irvine Invitational in Irvine, Calif.
The No. 5 Sun Devils (14-2) played two games Saturday and two Sunday in the UCI tournament, one game of which was against a top-four contender.
In the opener, ASU defeated UC Davis (14-12). It was the first time this season a team scored double-digits against the Sun Devils.
Seniors Annabelle Carter, Kelsey White and Alicia Brightwell were the top scorers against the Aggies, preserving the team’s 13th win of the season.
However, the Sun Devils fell short against No. 4 Cal (8-5), producing the team’s lowest scoring output in its first loss of the season.
Coach Todd Clapper said the team’s play was sloppy this weekend and the defense was a little off.
“We got outmuscled a little bit and gave up some goals,” he said.
San Diego State (8-9) was another tough matchup for ASU, and the Sun Devils fell just short of victory.
“We struggled a little bit in the first three games,” Clapper said. “We rushed some things and got countered the other way.”
He said the first three games weren’t played up to the team’s standards, and its success is all a matter of discipline and consistency.
In their last game, the Sun Devils secured a victory over Michigan (14-5), getting them back on track and taking seventh place in the tournament.
“It was nice to see them rebound and start to rally,” Clapper said.
Carter’s offensive force and hustle were evident this weekend.
“She wore a lot of hats for us,” Clapper said.
The game against Michigan was a good reminder for the Sun Devils to keep the intensity up against stronger competition and to motivate them to work even harder.
“The center play was good, the passes were good (and) the five on six was good, but it’s hard when you don’t feel you played well the first three games,” Clapper said.
He remained optimistic and said the Michigan game was an improvement. The players were seeing their teammates better and sophomore Ianeta Hutchinson had a better game in the goal, he said.
Clapper emphasized the Sun Devils will be keeping their heads up because these games “don’t make or break the season.
"We continue to get stronger and motivated,” he said.
As things improved toward the end of the weekend for the Sun Devils, they realized they had good moments offensively, but consistency is still a major factor the team will continue to work on.
“Everyone understands where they should be,” Clapper said. “They have to take on the responsibility to be in the right spot and motivation will hold them to that.”
This week’s practices will consist of situational rehearsal to avoid repeating the same mistakes in future competitions.
“We’ve got a lot of talented players and they’re motivated to do well,” Clapper said. “We just need to be more disciplined in our approach to practice. We need to carry the feeling from Michigan and build on it.”
Reach the reporter at fawade@asu.edu
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