Eager Anteaters are ready to turn corner

Steve Virgen

According to Julie Swail, the UC Irvine women’s water polo team

appears to be on schedule. It’s Year No. 3, and Swail, the coach who

was the captain of the U.S. Water Polo Team that won the silver medal

in the 2000 Olympics, is excited that the Anteaters will be able to

become the program she envisioned from the start.

“In the preseason polls, we were ranked 12th in the country,”

Swail said. “That was a nice start. I feel strongly that we can break

into the top four. That was my goal when I got here. I wanted us to

reach that high sometime in the first five years. And it can

definitely happen this year.”

Swail is confident because her young team thrived in its second

year of existence. The Anteaters recorded a 16-22 record, earning 13

more wins than in the inaugural season. UCI also picked up its first

two postseason wins, as the Anteaters defeated University of the

Pacific and 12th-ranked UC Santa Barbara at the Mountain Pacific

Sports Federation Tournament. The win over UCSB marked the highest

ranked opponent UCI has ever defeated.

The Anteaters finished the season ranked 14th in the nation.

What’s more, Melissa Fernandez became the program’s first-ever

All-American honoree as an honorable mention pick by the American

Water Polo Coaches.

Fernandez is now a junior who began playing for the Anteaters when

the program started. The same goes for junior Erica Horman, who has

led UCI in scoring the past two seasons. In 2001, she scored 51 goals, and last year she led the team with 57 goals. Fernandez scored

47 goals last year.

“She’s coming out and playing very strong,” Swail said of Horman.

“She’s one of the biggest scoring threats in the sport. It’s nice to

know she’s on our team.”

Junior goalie Sunceray Chamblee has also played a key role in

UCI’s rise through the past two seasons. Swail said Chamblee has been

important on the Anteaters’ counterattack because of her outlet

passes.

Defense has been important for the Anteaters in the first two

games of this season. UCI opened the season with a 9-3 win over Cal

State Bakersfield, and then the Anteaters were challenged in a 7-5

victory over the University of Redlands last weekend.

Swail said her squad displayed maturity against Redlands.

“Our defense is something that we’ve worked on this past fall,”

Swail said. “The only time we slipped up is we allowed Redlands to

come back. The defense was poor on the communication. But, our

experience came through. They showed they can defend any team that is

out there.”

The Anteaters will have an opportunity to showcase their maturity

and their improved defense this weekend at the UC San Diego Triton

Invitational. UCI will face No. 17 Hartwick in the first round

Saturday at 9 a.m.

“I feel really good about moving up in the top four this season,

that’s a very realistic possibility,” Swail said. “Last year, we

placed higher than we were expected. This year we’re going higher.”