Bill Halpin is walking a fine line.
The Merced College women's water polo head coach is doing his best to keep his team's confidence in check without diminishing it.
The NorCal championship seedlings were announced on Sunday, and as expected, the Lady Devils (28-1) received the No. 1 seed.
The rest of the field is No. 2 Diablo Valley College, No. 3 American River, No. 4 Sierra, No. 5 Fresno and No. 6 Foothill.
Merced College has gone toe-to-toe with four of the five teams and come away victorious in all of them.
"That's my biggest concern right there," Halpin said. "I'd much rather be the underdog than the top dog.
"If I'm one of the other coaches I'm telling my kids, 'Hey we've got nothing to lose. Let's get after Merced.'
"Yes we beat them the first time, but I know from experience that it's always more difficult to win this time of year.
"None of these games are going to be easy."
The NorCal Tournament begins on Friday at San Mateo.
The top seed gives the Lady Devils a first-round bye. They will open the tournament on Saturday against the winner of Sierra and Fresno in the semifinals. The ball is set to drop at 10:30 a.m.
A win in that game will guarantee the Lady Devils their first trip to the state tournament since 2005, regardless of what happens in the championship game. Back then six teams made the state tournament. The field was reduced to just four teams last season.
A loss ends the season in disappointment.
"Making state would be a pretty big accomplishment for all of us," said sophomore Halie Pruneda. "No one wants to have a repeat of last year where we lost our first game and that was it.
"We know the target is on our back, but I think that's kind of fun."
Halpin's not as convinced.
He said MC's easy run through the Coast Conference Tournament was kind of a mixed bag.
Halpin was able to rest up starters Poni McGee and Katie Elam while on the mend from injury, but he'd hoped the team would be pushed a little more.
Cabrillo's upset of Foothill in the semifinals set up a comfy 12-5 Lady Devil victory in the title game.
"I got to rest our girls that were injured, but I was hoping it would be more competitive," Halpin said. "We haven't faced a lot of adversity and that worries me.
"We've only trailed twice all season, and one of them was our loss to Fullerton.
"There's a lot on the line with that first game. If you win, you're going to state, which is a pretty special thing.
"This group had worked really hard and I just hope they get to see it pay off."
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