Wolverines Set for Collegiate Cup Action This Weekend
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Nov. 6, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan water polo team will compete in the Collegiate Cup this weekend (Sat-Sun., Nov. 7-8) at the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine, California.
The Wolverines will play exhibition games on Saturday and Sunday to get their first real look at Team 16. On Saturday, Michigan will square off against Southern Cal at 9:10 a.m. PST and Hawaii at 12:40 p.m. PST. Sunday's opponents and game times will be determined by the outcomes of Saturday's games.
"The Collegiate Cup provides us an opportunity to travel early on," said head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi. "We use it as an evaluator. It gives us a dry run for the season. I like for the freshmen to travel early on and see how they compete."
The high level of competition will be very beneficial in preparing the Wolverines for the season. Last year, USC lost in the NCAA semifinals to the eventual national champion, Stanford. The Trojans were 24-6 overall. Hawaii went 19-10 overall in 2015, placing seventh at the NCAA Championship. The Rainbow Wahine will also be the first regular-season opponent for the Wolverines at the UCSB Tournament on Jan. 22.
Another benefit of competing in the November exhibitions is for the team, which features 20 of the 24 players from California, to see family, friends and alumni. Also, it exposes the University of Michigan to youth water polo players in the area.
For Michigan, the 2016 season will be the second year under Leonardi. After two months of practice there seems to be a much higher comfort level for both the players and coaches in year two.
"Year one we spent so much time implementing all the changes for the program," said Leonardi. "This year, the team knows what is expected. They know what training is like and what the culture is. That is an advantage because they feel more comfortable. We are making positive strides in terms of our play and where we want to go as a program."
Now that the team is comfortable in the system, the players are anxious to see where they stack up against some of the top teams in the country.
"We are very excited to see where we are after all the work we have put in," said senior captain Ali Thomason. "Last year we started from scratch and had to learn everything, but now we know all the plays and can push ourselves harder. Where we are with everything now is where we were mid-to-late season last year."
For a complete breakdown of Team 16, visit umichathletics.exposure.co/water-polo-preview.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
