Like the women’s water polo team’s potential, much of what happens during a game is beneath the surface.
The skill level of many team members who have never played the game before has yet to emerge, leaving the stronger players to pick up the slack.
“We’re getting a lot more experience; every game is another practice. Our defense is really improving,” goalie Lorna Baker said.
Experience is exactly what new team members need in order to understand how to grasp and hold positions in the pool.
“In order to obtain those positions, you have a whole WWF wrestling match happening underneath the water, especially if you are talking about the hole position which is similar to a center in basketball,” coach Corey Stanbury said.
The team will return to the pool this weekend for the Citrus Tournament, and Stanbury said he expects the team to perform well.
“We could very easily walk away with a couple of wins, especially if we end up playing Santa Monica again,” he said.
In preparation for the tournament, Stanbury said the team members will be focusing on positioning themselves and moving the ball.
“Some of the beginning players have a tendency to watch the drive go right by them instead of turning and properly defending the other team,” Stanbury said.
Despite the physicality of the sport, Stanbury said that the new players are adapting well and encouraged them to use their underwater tactics during practice.
Over the weekend, the team played four games in two days, securing an 8-5 victory over Santa Monica.
“It was a real good win; we played great defense and shut them out the first half,” Stanbury said.
Even though the team has had a tough season, there have been good things happening as well.
Kelly Suk is only three assists away from breaking the college’s record and Baker is close to being in the top 10 for blocked shots.
“We are not any threat to make the regional finals or anything, but the women are learning a lot and I am having a good time working with them,” Stanbury said.
The team faced Cerritos yesterday, which is ranked No. 10 in the state. Scores were not available at publication time.
