Starting the season off in rough waters, girls water polo struggled to score a victory in their first couple of games.
The team kept up their preparations for the upcoming season by polishing their skills and reinforcing them. Along with other teams, they participated in a summer sports camp and had conditioning days during their fall offseason.
“Pre-season is to work on all these things so that when your season rolls around, you can reinforce and expand on those skills. As a team, it is important to stay connected and strengthen your relationships with the rest of the team,” senior captain Nichole Arancibia said. “Since I’m a goalie, I mostly focus on training my legs by treading, using the weight belt, or doing jugs.”
Suffering a devastating 17-1 loss in their first match against Glendale, the Lady Brahmas suffered other blowout losses against Centennial and Ayala, 19-3 and 21-8 respectively.
“Though we struggled with these games, we did show major improvement between them,” Arancibia said. “I am so proud of all our girls and especially of how we did considering that we haven’t been able to go into the pool recently, meaning no practice or preparation for those games. It showed how resourceful and strong each and every girl on our team is and how we take each challenge head-on together.”
Despite facing adversity, these games decided the placement of players who would be on the final varsity roster. Sophomores Lanna Xiao and Vanna Xiao were promoted to varsity from junior varsity.
“I was surprised and very grateful that I got promoted to varsity. I can’t wait to learn and grow in the team,” Xiao said.
Their goal is to make it to CIF. Arancibia is looking forward to making memories with her teammates while also leaving a strong team for next year.
“As a captain, I am looking forward to improving alongside my teammates and going as far as we can. We have worked hard and want to accomplish so much during our season,” Arancibia said. “I am looking forward to experiencing every win, loss and everything in between with my team.”