The first varsity women’s water polo tournament took place the weekend of September 18th and 19th. The team has been training for the past 6 weeks, and some of the girls on the varsity team have no prior experience in the sport. The team is consists of 12 underclassmen and 5 upperclassmen. The underclassmen competed in the tournament alongside the juniors and seniors.

Nicole Morgan is a freshman who has a year experience playing with a club team prior to high school water polo.

“I had to put my full effort into the games in order to support my team,” Morgan said.

Her previous involvement prepared her to compete at varsity level against other high school teams. She also believed that the upperclassmen helped out a lot, by directing and helping players through their communication in the pool.

One of the seniors, Katelene Gonzalo, thinks that the varsity tournament has helped the JV players get more experience, however there are still many things they could improve upon.

“We need to work on or communication a lot more. And be aware of our surroundings,” Gonzalo said.

She has played water polo all 4 years and has a lot of experience with the sport, and can spread her experience with players who have little to none.

Mellany Wynne is the captain of the varsity team. She believes that the tournament was a growing experience, and will help the team get better.

“The second game we lost by a lot but the game right after we scored around ten goals and let in almost none,” Wynne said.

Wynne and Gonzalo, however, do not think that the team was properly prepared of the varsity tournament.

“I think we haven’t, as a team, practiced game scenarios. So a lot of people know how to catch or throw, but are not experienced in other aspects of the game, mainly because of our practices,” Wynne said.

Although the girls believe that the team got better skill-wise, Gonzalo believes the varsity tournament brought the water polo girls closer together.

“It made my relationship with the team stronger,” Gonzalo said.

The girls grew as a team during their first tournament, and will continue to grow throughout this year and their future years of playing.

by AVERY VAN DER LINDEN