Erin Holder has saved her team almost as well as she has been saving goals.

The women’s water polo team is 2-6, but Holder has been progressing since their original goalie Jordyn Greene left the team.

“I’ve never been a goalie,” Holder said.

“I was willing to do it, and I actually do like it a lot. I mean I’m improving day by day,” Holder said.

Holder has increased her average from two to three blocks a game to five or six, coach Corey Stanbury said.

“She’s making a lot of progress on a daily basis and she’s increased the number of blocks she is getting in every game,” Stanbury said.

In the Mt. San Antonio College tournament last weekend, the women placed ninth, losing to Mt. SAC by a score of 14-8, San Diego Mesa (13-5), and Fullerton (16-6), but earned a decisive victory over Rio Hondo (14-6).

The team has one lineup of nine, which, when compared to teams with twice as many players, is a severe disadvantage.

When fatigue sets in the players cannot be substituted out of the game.

Haley Canning and Erica Shaw have been playing at a peak level, Stanbury said.

Both Shaw and Canning have been communicating with their team in the water to involve others in scoring and to set up shots.

“I was happy with how we played in our games. We played smart water polo in doing the things that we wanted to do,” Shaw said. “We were deliberate on offense and deliberate on defense.”

Several players have also had to leave the team because of temporary injury or permanently due to personal matters.

“We’ve been kind of snake bit with ineligibilities and some injuries,” Stanbury said.

“Some people were going to play, but then had family situations so they had to quit and go to work,” Stanbury said.

Greene is one example of an absence that has hurt the team.

Some are trying to focus on the present instead of what might have been with Greene still in the goal.

“We don’t really try and think about that we don’t have (Greene),” Shaw said.

“We have what we have, we’re going to do as best we can with what we have,” Shaw said.

Holder has been effective in Greene’s place and the rest of the season may hinge on her abilities. So far, there have been some saves by Holder that have kept EC in the games.

“I’m getting better very slowly, but I enjoy it so that’s all that matters to me,” Holder said.