There are ten seconds left on the clock, you and your team are tied against the opposing team, and this last shot is your only hope for winning. With your adrenaline pumping, you shoot the ball full force, aiming at the opposite team’s goal. You shoot and score, making the final winning shot!

   Many fans, players, and coaches for the UC High Girls Varsity Water Polo Team have experienced plays similar to these. Senior Emily Heinz has played water polo for about five years now at Sunset Water Polo Team and played for the UC High Girls Varsity Water Polo Team last year. “I play driver or set so I either swim up and down the sides of the pool or am the person right in front of the opposing goal,” said Heinz.

  Last year was a successful season for the girls. They won the Shaver Lake Tournament and made it to semifinals. They are preparing to win this season. This year, the team is hoping to improve last year’s record of 11-13 by working hard, staying positive, and playing as a team.

The girls also participated in the Rancho Bernardo Invitational Tournament. They worked hard and finished in second place out of 24 teams.

  In order to perform well in games, the team practices and conditions. Sophomore Grace Kinshofer said, “I have a pretty busy schedule, with three-hour practices every day after school, games on the weekends as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays, and workouts in the weight room every Monday and Friday morning before school.”

Freshman Samantha Yoo added, “At every practice we do about 45 minutes to an hour of swimming. It truly is a lot of conditioning. Water polo is a different yet challenging sport because you aren’t just using your arms, or just your legs- you’re using your whole body.”

   Instead of focusing everything on CIFs, the team prefers to focus on each individual game. While they agree that CIF is their end goal, their main goal is just to win as many games as possible. Kinshofer stated, “Our goal is just to win.”

  Yoo stated, “My goals and hopes for this season are to work better as a team, since water polo is a team sport.” Kinshofer added, “We definitely have a great group of girls this year. Seeing as we have a younger team, we are trying to focus on improving this year, so that we have a cohesive team next year.”

  Freshman Delilah Correa, who also plays water polo for UC High, is a big fan of the Varsity Girls Water Polo Team. She attended most of the exciting games last year. Correa said, “What I admire most about the Varsity Team is not only the outstanding plays, but the team and girls themselves, and their unique sportsmanship and clean passing.”

Kinshofer added, “Some standout players to look out for are Seniors Emily Heinz and Izzy Halaka!”