Without a doubt, this is the most important tournament in our program. The excitement surrounding a push towards qualifying is always electric but with that comes loads of pressure to make sure we are there in Russia this summer.

There's definitely a lot more excitement and anxiousness,

There's no doubt the excitement of L.A. is a big draw for some athletes, especially those from overseas. They know UCLA. Just the name conjures up images of palm trees and Baywatch and all that good stuff.

To be fair, we have never really been at our best here despite some of the lop-sided scores. We have had spells of solid team play but have yet to play to our full potential…But we are in the World Championships this summer and I am extremely proud of what the players have accomplished.

They're very strong. They're a confident, skilful athletic team. They've got just about everything you'd want.

A great defender. His qualities were his pace and his strength in the air.