Hi, Lion fans!
 
Thanks for tuning into this week of Rise and Roar! It's been quite the week of training and competition as conference play is in full swing. Last week our own Ruth Ariño Ruiz also received her second GCC Player of the Week honor of the year! Congratulations Ruth! 
This last week we prepared for our game against Princeton at home. Since we had just returned from Northern California, we had a day off on Monday which allowed for everyone to catch up on schoolwork and prepare their bodies for the rest of the week. This meant that we had just three practices before game day, so we all had to lock in and have a productive few days of training. 
 
In our journaling practice we set goals for the days leading up to the game; one offensive, one defensive, and one team-oriented goal. These goals were good for self check-ins after each practice to keep on track. This ties into our core values of discipline and accountability. 
 
Friday was full of excitement as we geared up for our 5pm game. We had a light shootaround in the morning to stay loose, followed by time for everyone to take care of their individual needs, whether it be the training room or taking a nap at home. Before it was game time, we also kicked off our team's Secret Sister tradition. Each year, around the start of conference play, everyone on the team randomly draws a "secret sister" who they give little gifts to before the home games. This all leads up to the big reveal right before the conference tournament. For the first week, we started with fun socks! It made me so happy to watch everyone open up their lockers and smile and the little gift they had received and try to guess as to who could have them. I can't wait to keep going for the rest of the season. 
For game time, the atmosphere on the pool deck was electric! There was a good crowd on both the LMU and Princeton sides, so that made for an environment that was super fun to play in. After a hard-fought game, we were able to come out on top, winning 10-8. After a tough loss against Princeton last year around this time, the win was all the more satisfying and really showed our progress as a team. The win also solidified our historic season this year, as our now 20-2 record is the best start in LMU Women's Water Polo program history! This is a true testament to how everyone on the team has bought into the shift in team culture and how hard we have been working both in and out of the pool. 
 
Looking to next week we have possibly our biggest home game of the year against our conference rival Fresno State! It is going to be a battle and we could not be more ready! Come down to Burns Aquatic Center at 12pm on Saturday to watch. Or, as always, tune into ESPN+ to follow along as well. I wish you all a wonderful week and I can't wait to see everyone at the game! Go Lions!