U-M Riding 15-Game Winning Streak into Conference Play
3/23/2018 2:49:00 PM | Water Polo, Features
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan water polo team was not happy after a third loss to No. 8 Pacific on Feb. 23 to start the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, but looking back it might have been the turning point of the season as the team has gone on a 15-game winning streak ever since.
"After we lost to Pacific in the first round and how we lost when we were up going into the fourth quarter, I remember bringing the girls in that evening and talking about something had to change," said head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi.
Leonardi knew that they needed to look at personnel or the style of play, so he asked the team to open up and talk amongst each other about what they were doing well and where they needed to get better.
"There was a lot of rich content coming out of that meeting," said Leonardi. "I remember saying in that meeting that we wouldn't lose another game."
The team played three hard-fought games the rest of the tournament, defeating No. 21 Long Beach State and No. 17 UCSB by two goals before closing it out with a 10-9 win over No. 15 UC San Diego for ninth place. Those three close wins were the beginning of what has become a 15-game winning streak.
"The Irvine tournament was very important to us as a team as our loss made us look at ourselves to figure out what we needed to do to build," said freshman Sofie Pontré. "I know it gave me a drive to not lose again."
After the tournament at Irvine, the Wolverines returned home and the offense started to click. U-M scored 71 goals in five home victories, winning by an average of nine goals per game. The benefit of the high level of play was the balance in minutes for everyone on the team and an opportunity for Leonardi to try a lot of different lineup combinations to see who played well together.
"It was a fun tournament, playing at home with a great crowd," said junior Kim Johnson. "The entire team got to play and everyone loves that. When we see our bench score or get a big shot block it is so much fun because we know how hard they work in practice."
The team chemistry in the water is something that has taken a little extra time this season with seven freshmen coming in and the team battling illness and injuries for much of the season so far, but it has really come together over the last month.
"By the Irvine tournament we usually know who we are as a team, but this year it was really a starting point for us," said Leonardi. "We changed our rotations and made adjustments to how we were playing and all of a sudden we started clicking."
After the Wolverine Invitational, Michigan traveled to New York for three nonconference wins over conference opponents at Hartwick. The offense continued to excel with 43 goals in the three games. Last weekend, U-M picked up four more wins with 60 goals total. U-M has scored at least 12 goals in 10 straight games.Â
"We have really tried to come out hard to start games," said Pontré. "When we can break other teams down early, we can get on a roll. We keep pushing and pushing and they don't have any answers."
Jumping out to early leads has helped the team utilize its entire roster in games. Leonardi is getting production from the top to bottom of his roster and that has helped everyone feel purpose.
"Everyone feels important, everyone feels valued and everyone feels they are contributing to the team," said Leonardi. "They are happy for each other's success and it is contagious."
The best part for Leonardi is that it hasn't just been the team showing up for one game or one tournament. It is the hard work that has come from the start of the fall until now that has made the difference in the team's recent success.
"You can't just go into a weekend and all of a sudden expect to play well," said Leonardi. "You have to do it all the time, every single day, every single weekend. That's the difference. That is Michigan Athletics. You look at swimming, basketball, wrestling, softball and all the teams who are champions every single day, every single weekend, all the time."
Michigan's 15-game winning streak has led it to a 22-7 record heading into conference play. The Wolverines have a separate 19-game winning streak in CWPA play, going 15-0 over the last two seasons and 23-1 overall under Leonardi.
The Wolverines will start their CWPA run on Saturday, March 31, when they travel to No. 13 Indiana for an 11 a.m. showdown in Bloomington, Indiana.
