PALO ALTO, Calif. — The University of Michigan water polo team is preparing for this weekend’s National Collegiate Athletic (NCAA) Tournament at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and has had a week together to not only build a game plan, but also lasting memories.
With classes and finals concluded, the Wolverines were able to fly to California on Monday and spend the week focusing on Friday’s quarterfinal match-up with No. 3-ranked University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). The team has kept a busy schedule with practices, a team-bonding trip to Pier 39 and Alcatraz in San Francisco and team meals hosted by families of the student-athletes.
“The really exciting thing about NCAA water polo is there are only eight teams playing, so you feel privileged to get an extra two weeks with your team,” said junior Maddy Steere, the 2019 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Player of the Year. “Everyone strives to be here so being able to spend that extra time together, go to Alcatraz, being together just helps us make those memories that not every team gets to make. We always say it is not about the destination, but about the journey. All these things we can look back on in 20 years.”
The team trip to Alcatraz was one of many activities Dr. Marcelo Leonardi has his team do in order to become closer as a group. The team did an escape room in Providence, Rhode Island, before the CWPA Championships and played whirly ball in Ann Arbor during Spring Break.
“Being done with school and having our seniors graduate is a blessing and sigh of relief,” said Leonardi. “We are playing free. It gives us time to be together, train and not stress about the other hours of our lives like going to class or studying. We come together and get to enjoy more time with each other.”
Michigan will face UCLA for the third time this season. The Bruins edged U-M, 9-7, the first time they met on Jan. 20. It was just the third game of the season for the Wolverines and they had a chance to tie the game in the final 90 seconds of the game. It showed they could play with the top teams in the country. On Feb. 23 the two teams met again and UCLA ended up winning, 15-5.
“I think we match up really well with UCLA,” said Leonardi. “The first time we played, we showed we were physically able to match up with them. The second time we played them, we weren’t playing good water polo and UCLA was. Now we are both playing really good water polo. We feel like we are built for the postseason and will play our best water polo at the end.”
Being able to spend a few days in California has been beneficial for the Wolverines. The team has been able to put their attention to the little details and fine tune its game plan. It has also helped U-M get used to the time change and get acclimated to the temperatures and climate.
“I’ve seen a different level of intensity from our first unit, a sharpness and level of comfort,” said Leonardi. “I have also seen a big jump from our second unit, seeing maturity from a couple of kids who made their way into the rotation. They have done a fantastic job.”
The team is used to playing multiple games in a weekend and quickly moving on to their next opponent. For NCAA’s they have extra time to prepare. Now that the preparation is almost over they are just excited to play.
“We have neutralized the external factors by coming here early and can now focus on a game to play,” said Steere. “We have had two weeks to prepare, watch film and really hone in on their tendencies. Prepping for one team, one day rather than going into a tournament and prepping for all possible outcomes has everyone prepared to go in and perform at their best.”
Opening sprint for Michigan and UCLA will be at 5:15 p.m. PDT on Friday (May 10). The game will be streamed free on NCAA.com.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
