2011 is a milestone year in NCAA Women’s Water Polo as it marks the first time that a school from the recently formed Big West will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Each school in this conference boasts a quality side and the race for that coveted spot is shaping up to be a compelling one. The highest ranked Big West squad in both the Water Polo Planet and CWPA polls is currently the Anteaters of UC-Irvine as they check in at ninth and tenth respectively and are coming off an outstanding victory over current WWPA favorite Loyola Marymount.
With conference play heating up and the postseason less than three weeks away, I caught up with UC-Irvine’s Head Coach Dan Klatt to discuss his squad and their stretch run. The 2004 United States Olympian is in his seventh season at the helm of the UC-Irvine women and has led the Anteaters to five straight winning seasons and two consecutive Big West tournament championships. Klatt is also currently an Assistant Coach on the United States Women’s National team. Below is my interview with the leader of the Anteaters.
This is an exciting year as the Big West will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. What does UC-Irvine need to do to grab that coveted spot?
In order to win the Big West tournament we will need to play our best water polo of the year. Our conference is extremely competitive and all six teams are capable of winning the tournament championship. If we want to be the last team standing we must play great defense for thirty-two minutes with minimal errors. We will need to be excellent in extra man situations, offensively and defensively, and convert our scoring opportunities in the front court.
Danielle Warde is off to a great start to the season. Can you tell us a little bit about her and her growth in this campaign?
Danielle is a very talented athlete. She reminds me very much of current national team player Jeff Powers in ability and personality. She can play every position in the pool. Most of this year has been spent learning about how to use her skill set to compliment her teammates and the team strategy on offense and defense. Danielle is surrounded by some very unselfish and talented water polo players that help put her in situations where she can utilize her abilities.
Cortney Collyer looks like she does a bit of everything for your squad. What makes her the outstanding player that she is?
Cortney came to UCI with a very high water polo IQ. She played for one of the best high school coaches in the country, Mark Walsh, at Santa Barbara High. Cortney started her college career with a great base of knowledge and fundamentals and some championship experience. She has great vision of the game and is extremely unselfish. Cortney has played the most minutes on the team for the past three seasons. Her understanding of the game and ability to anticipate allow her to perform even when she is fatigued. Cortney spent countless hours outside of practice time developing her shooting during her sophomore and junior seasons and became our leading goal scorer in 2010. This season she has continued to perform offensively and has taken on the responsibility of being our team’s matchup defender. She owns one of the team’s best shooting percentages and leads the team in 
assists and steals.
I noted that your team has given significant minutes to three different goalkeepers. Can you tell us a little about your situation between the pipes and if anyone has been emerging?
We have three talented goalkeepers that have distinct strengths and weaknesses. The coaching staff felt it important that each got their opportunity to demonstrate how their skill set complimented the team's style of play. Lauren Davis has put together a stretch of solid performances in the past few weeks, but it will be vital to have three goalies with experience as we head into the conference season.
Besides coaching UC-Irvine, you have also been serving as an Assistant Coach for the United States Women's National team. Can you tell us about that experience and how it has made you a better coach for UC-Irvine?
Being a part of the national team at any level is always an honor. It is a special privilege to represent the greatest country in the world as an assistant coach for the women's water polo team. There are so many learning opportunities for me to grow as a person and coach in the national team environment. One of my favorite parts is the dialog with the athletes. At most levels you are teaching all of the time. At the Olympic level you spend a good deal of time in discussion with the athletes. These ladies are professionals and have water polo on the brain as much as their coaches do at times. I have learned to spend more time listening and having constructive dialog with the athletes. I think this will serve me well at the collegiate level with my student-athletes. Learning how to function and fill my role as an assistant coach has also been a valuable experience. I have the opportunity to work with Adam Krikorian, who has proved to be the best there is at what we do. I try to constantly observe the way he handles this talented group of athletes in and out of the water. I feel like there is something new to be learned every day. He is a great leader. I am also blessed to work with Heather Moody, who is among the most decorated player-coaches in the history of water polo. She is an amazing teacher, and I have already brought many things from Heather's skill set to my trainings at UCI. I want to feel as if I am learning and growing each year. My players at UCI deserve the best I have, and I believe that the opportunity to work with the athletes and coaches on the women's national team will expand my knowledge base.
On April 29th, the Big West tournament will commence and a spot will be awarded to the NCAA Tournament. Whoever wins this conference championship will not be a sacrificial lamb come NCAAs as this conference boasts quality. UC-Irvine has quietly been playing great water polo over the last month and that culminated in a stirring fourth-quarter comeback win over Loyola Marymount and a dominating 14-7 win over a good Hartwick team. The two-time defending Big West Tournament Champions have the wind at their sails and look ready to not only defend their titles but cause havoc when NCAAs commence in May.
