USC’s Hayes Makes All the Difference

A person’s fate can change in the blink of an eye. The USC women’s water polo team’s fate changed with the stroke of a pen.

Brittany Hayes signed a national letter of intent with the Trojans in November 2002, after weeks of recruiting trips to the top college programs in the sport. Among them were UCLA and Stanford, which had played each other in the last three national title games.

Before the freshman arrived, USC generally came up on the short end of its matches with its two main rivals.

Now the tables have turned, and top-seeded USC will try to complete the first undefeated season in the history of women’s water polo by winning the NCAA tournament this weekend.

“If we did not have her, we would not be where we are right now,” USC Coach Jovan Vavic said.

Hayes’ 54 goals rank second behind sophomore two-meter Moriah Van Norman’s 55. None was more important than her tying shot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation final against Stanford with 16 seconds left in regulation.

“Coming in, I didn’t just want to be a little freshman and float around all season,” Hayes said. “I wanted to contribute as much as I could. I knew this year would be a great year.”

The Trojans take their 27-0 record into today’s national semifinal against Hartwick College of Oneonta, N.Y. In the other semifinal, second-seeded Stanford plays third-seeded Loyola Marymount, which is making its fourth consecutive appearance after winning the Western Water Polo Assn. title.

So far, USC has fought off all contenders. The Trojans defeated UCLA twice, Long Beach State three times and Stanford in all four meetings, including the 8-7 overtime victory last weekend for the MPSF tournament championship.

Individual achievements have followed. Van Norman was named conference player of the year and is one of four finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, given to the nation’s top player. Senior Kelly Graff was named the league’s top goalie, and Vavic was selected coach of the year.

The addition of Hayes has returned the Trojans to elite status.

She had a decorated high school career at Santa Ana Foothill High. Her teams won Southern Section Division I titles in each of her four years, capped by a 30-0 season in her senior year. She was also The Times’ player of the year the last two seasons. But she faced a hard decision when it came to choosing a college. Two of her Foothill teammates, Gabbie Domanic and Emily Feher, signed with UCLA.

“It was nerve racking in the beginning,” Hayes said. “My father went to UCLA, so I wasn’t sure about going to a rival school.” But she was sold when she returned from a trip to USC. “I just loved it,” she said.

An undefeated season was never the focus, Vavic said, but it will be a cherished mark if the Trojans win today and again in Sunday’s championship match.

“We’ve had incredible chemistry as a team and this group has been able to maintain its focus for every match,” he said. “I feel we have worked very hard as a team to get to where we are.”

As far as the impressive 19-year-old Hayes is concerned, picking USC proved to be the right choice.

“I just knew that’s where my heart was,” she said.

*

Water Polo

NCAA Women’s Championships

Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford

All Times Pacific

TODAY

* Semifinals -- USC (27-0) vs. Hartwick (33-8), 6 p.m.; Loyola Marymount (24-5) vs. Stanford (20-4), 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

* Third place -- 2:30 p.m.

* Championship -- Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

Note: College Sports Television will televise the championship match.