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Though not as tall as other goalkeepers at the collegiate level, UCLA goalie Emily Feher has the

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Women’s water polo coach Adam Krikorian and assistant coach Nicolle Payne don new sunglasse

Gucci. Chanel. Dior. Fendi. Von Zippers. Whatever’s en vogue, the UCLA women’s water polo players are sporting it on their faces. White, black, pink, big frames, green lenses and thick bands are just some of the features of the sunglasses that Bruins wear to games. As important as it is to play well, being trendy has a part in the scene too. “I’d like to think we’re a fashion-consciousness team, and sunglasses are an accessory we pride ourselves in,” junior Kelly Rulon said. But it’s more than just a fashion accessory. It’s a necessity. “Our eyes are sensitive afterward,” said Rulon, who has Chanel sunglasses. “There’s so much chlorine in our eyes, they get red and sore, so when the sun hits them directly, we have to sport them.” Other people on the water polo scene have their own idiosyncrasies as well. Look no further than the head coaches. Stanford coach John Tanner is never seen without his straw hat. USC coach Jovan Vavic never leaves home without his red Nike shoes. And of course, UCLA coach Adam Krikorian never removes his simple, black shades during a game. But since the team members took jabs at Krikorian for his old shades, which they used to call the “terminator sunglasses,” Krikorian has been sighted with a new pair - Electrics. Same goes for assistant coach Nicolle Payne, who now has Chanel sunglasses thanks to an end-of-the-year gift from the team last season. “We want hip coaches,” Rulon said. “Adam made an improvement. Before, he would wear these Adidas ones and we’d make fun of him.” As for the player on the team who may very well have more sunglasses than Paris Hilton, that honor would have to go to Kristina Kunkel. “She has, I don’t know 20 to 30 (pairs),” said junior Molly Cahill, who has an affection for Von Zippers. “She always has the newest and latest.”

KEEPIN’ IT LOOSE While the action was taking place in the pool during the conference tournament this past weekend, fans couldn’t help but look at other teams that were warming up. To get loose, the Cal women’s water polo team spars with one another with bright red gloves. USC is known for getting down to music such as Sean Paul’s hit single “Temperature.” The Bruins get in a circle and play Hacky Sack. They’ll do anything just to get their attention away from the game at hand. “T-Bone (Thalia Munro) and Natalie (Golda) brought playing Hacky Sack back after coming from the Olympics,” Rulon said. “It calms you down, everyone gets together and it helps you get focused.” While the objective is to get all the players to touch the Hacky Sack at least once, they admit one thing: “We’re not very good at it,” Cahill said.

NOT IN MY CAGE It’s rare to talk about an individual’s impact on the game, but UCLA goalie Emily Feher should be given praise for her job at the cage. The 5-foot-8-inch junior has the second-best goal-against average in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference at 3.96. More importantly, Feher has stopped three of six penalty shots from four meters since the Stanford game at home on April 15. None were more important than Feher’s swat of Trojan Brittany Hayes’ shot in the first period that would’ve given USC a sizeable 4-1 lead in the third-place game of the conference tournament. So how does Feher do it? It’s all about feel. “I feel my eyes are closed half the time. You just have to have confidence,” Feher said. “It’s a lot of pressure for a shooter and they have the expectations to make it because goalies aren’t expected to block it. Anything I as a goalie can do to stop momentum, it’s huge. “I’m not very tall so I have to almost take an educated guess of where to go and go with my gut,” she said.

GEMS FROM GOLDA: Before the start of the postseason, graduated senior and All-American Natalie Golda spoke candidly about what she thinks about this year’s Bruin team and what they need to do to repeat as national champions. “I see them in training and it’s lights out. Everyone’s shooting well, playing great team defense and a lot of speed,” Golda said, “but sometimes in a game, they might second-guess themselves a little bit. I just think they’re not as confident as they should be. They should be overpouring with confidence. “They aren’t taking things personally. They need to carry (confidence) over to each game. I think they’re just still feeling that pressure from last season.”