Water Polo Starts Strong in Preseason
The girls water polo team has had a close preseason thus far, leading 7-5 overall.
Junior Kat Bescanceny said, “I’d love to see our team match the intensity that we carried last year going into CIF finals. Since our team has a lot of experience and skill, we’re really focusing more on team chemistry and forming a cohesive unit in the pool that is always playing for one another. As for myself, I’d say I’m really working on embracing the leadership role this year and fostering a positive and supportive environment on and off the pool deck.”
Most recently, the team competed in the Villa Park Tournament from Thursday, Dec. 12 to Saturday, Dec. 14. The team played Villa Park and Capistrano Valley on Saturday. They fell 5-10 to the former, but countered this loss with a 7-5 victory over the latter. Friday, the girls faced La Serna, a tough competitor whose record was 9-1 for preseason. Despite their valiant efforts, the girls fell 9-12. Against Poly/Long Beach, the girls triumphed 5-3 on Friday. They then competed against Redondo Union, losing again with a score of 3-14 on Thursday. Junior Paige Riester commented that the team “[has] worked really well in the last few games and [she is] excited for the upcoming season.”
Previously, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the girls played Laguna Hills and triumphed, finishing the game 9-5.
The lady Dolphins participated in the El Dorado Tournament, winning two games but losing one. Facing off against El Dorado, the girls won with a final score of 9-6 on Saturday, Dec. 7. That same day, the girls played Cypress and Villa Park, finishing 11-7 and 8-9, respectively. Against Esperanza, the girls won 10-8 on Friday, Dec. 6, but they later fell to California 8-9.
Head Coach Carrie Pierce noted that freshmen Kate and Emma McCulloch “had an amazing defensive weekend in their first varsity tournament.” Junior Paige Riester, freshman Sadie Riester and freshman Claire Berger “had a big offensive weekend, putting up some key goals in some tight games.”
The girls had a strong start to the season, dominating JSerra Catholic on Wednesday, Dec. 4 with a score of 10-4. Of the season onward, Pierce remarks, “We had many close games this weekend, and as a young team with only two seniors on varsity, it has been super important to have these experiences early in the season. Last year, we had our best season in school history, so we are looking to challenge ourselves as a team in December to prepare for league in January.”
