Leah Robertson was going about practice as usual at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California when her coach told her to get out of the pool. There was someone he wanted her to meet.

That someone was Michigan water polo coach Matt Anderson. Anderson talked to her about the opportunity to come to Ann Arbor and compete for the Wolverines. Until that point, she had never really thought about leaving always-sunny California for the unpredictable (and often miserable) weather of Michigan. But Robertson agreed to try.

Now, it’s been four years, and Robertson — who has cemented herself as the face of the Michigan water polo program — will enter the pool for her last season as a Wolverine on Saturday.

Robertson holds the single-season record for steals as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. She needs only 72 to break the senior record, a seemingly easy task considering she has averaged nearly 100 steals per season. These kinds of statistics prove what her coach firmly believes — that she’s one of the best players in the nation.

“To be a great defensive player in any sport, it’s just a matter of effort,” Anderson said. “It’s not skill, it’s effort, and that’s what Leah brings. She brings the effort to want to steal the ball, to want to shut down the other player that she’s guarding. And that will be her legacy.”

Despite all of her accomplishments, Robertson maintains a humble demeanor. After finding out she is currently one steal away from 300, she asked if that was really true.

“I didn’t know that,” she said. “That’s pretty cool.”

But don’t be fooled — Robertson isn't limited to making stellar defensive plays. She’s on the top of her game on the offensive side as well.

“Leah is by far the best defensive player we’ve ever had,” Anderson said. “And she is going to be at the top of most of our offensive categories as well. You have your defensive stoppers and then you have your offensive talents. But when you’re able to get someone that you can say both of those things about, that’s a special player.”

But it's a sheer love of the game that has kept her in the pool. When she was seven, her dad, who played water polo in high school, introduced the same to her. And her water polo-playing babysitter who brought a ball every time she came over made Robertson love the sport that much more.

When Robertson thinks about her most memorable moment playing water polo, it’s not about the records she set or the steals she made. It’s about the people she’s with.

Robertson said it was hard to say goodbye to the seven seniors who graduated last year.

“We had this huge cry session,” Robertson said. “That was the closest that I’ve ever been with a group of girls. They really took me under their wing and helped me make it through my entire college career.”

It’s that kind of emotion that makes this water polo team so special and truly compelling to watch. Yes, statistics matter, and yes, winning is what they'll be remembered for. But first and foremost, they’re friends.

And when she discussed her most memorable moment outside of water polo, the only thing that made it distinct from a “water polo” moment was that it was her and her teammates on a football field rather than a swimming pool.

When Leah Robertson emerged from her high school pool to have a conversation with Anderson years ago, she probably never imagined that one day, her greatest memory would be helping him propose to his then-fiancée.

“When I told them what I was going to do, they basically said, ‘we’re going to be involved,’ ” Anderson said. “We were on the football field and they unraveled the banner that asked my wife to marry me while I was on my knee on the other side of the field. They were very involved. And it obviously turned out well.”

Just one more accomplishment Robertson can add to the list.