Michigan utility player Delia Sonda couldn't resist the temptation.

As the rest of her teammates were unsure of whether to jump into the DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J. and celebrate their victory over Hartwick in the Eastern Championships on April 28, Sonda immediately dove into the water and began "hugging and kicking" with her teammates.

"It was a very hard-fought game, so the anticipation was building," said Sonda, who played for the Wolverines when they were just a club water polo team two years ago. "The whole time I was waiting for someone to score, and as soon as Jen (Crisman) scored, I jumped in, and I looked behind me and everyone was still standing there. Some people were just shocked."

The Wolverines are not alone in their shocked state. There are many people in the water polo community who are trying to figure out how Michigan jumped to the NCAA Championships in just its second varsity season. But Michigan coach Amber Drury-Pinto knew it wouldn't take long for this program to compete with the nation's elite.

"Coming into Michigan, I knew it wouldn't take long because they had a strong club team," Drury-Pinto said. "It was definitely a perk when I was looking at this position. So many things contributed to it. All the players stepped up and rose to the occasion."

The Wolverines were defeated by No. 1 Stanford 13-3, getting goals from Jen Crisman, Stephanie Rupp and Julie Nisbet. Goalie Betsey Armstrong made 16 saves in the losing effort. In the third place game, the Wolverines played a much tighter game against Loyala Marymount. Crisman had two goals and Armstrong had 10 saves. Both were given second-team All-Tournament honors though the team was 0-2.

But before the tournament began, Michigan wasn't backing down from the Western powerhouse as Stanford hadn't seen the Wolverines play in over a year.

"We've kind of got an edge," Drury-Pinto said before the Final Four. "(Stanford) hasn't seen us. We think that Stanford might not be as prepared for us as they might think."

"When you read the message board about this tournament, most people are disregarding us and saying that we're going to get completely destroyed," Sonda said before the tournament. "We are very much wanting to prove that we deserve a seat at NCAAs. Some people say that they should take the top four in the country and not out of regionals. I think we can give Stanford a good game and we can beat Loyola Marymount."

Drury-Pinto is trying her best to convince her team that there is nothing different about playing against the traditional powerhouses like the Cardinal and the Bruins.

"They could be called Podunk University," Drury-Pinto said. "It doesn't matter. They're human, and we've beaten a lot of good teams. We can match up with those teams. Yeah, they've got some experience on us, but we're fighters."

The Wolverines had to claw their way into the NCAA Championships, beating Indiana in the semifinals in four overtimes and Hartwick in the first sudden-death frame. Michigan has a 5-0 record in overtime this season.

"We have a lot of heart," Sonda said. "If we go into overtime, I'll be confident. I think that we will win if we get to overtime."

Whether the Wolverines make a national championship run or not, the experience and the exposure that the program will receive will be more than worth the trip to Los Angeles.

"When any team makes it and can say it's been to the Final Four, that's huge," Drury- Pinto said. "We'll probably get some looks from (recruits) who weren't so interested before."