The UC High Girls Water Polo Team continues to push their limits as they travel for the first time to compete in a tournament outside San Diego County.

   While each year is challenging in its own right, last year was particularly difficult due to few returning players. Senior Co-Captain Emily Heinz explained, “Last year our team was very young. Most of our Varsity Team were freshmen, because we only had four returning players. This year, we have a whole team of experienced players, and we have been doing really well.”

   Heinz continued, “At the beginning of the year, my goal was to have a complete team — we weren’t sure if we were going to have a goalie — and now that we have been playing together for a few months, I think my main goal would be to win CIF and go to State.”

   To help the team improve their chances and prepare for State competitions, the UC High Girls Water Polo Team had the opportunity to go to a travel tournament. “On the weekend of January 12, we drove up to Chino Hills to compete in the Diamond Bar tournament where we played about six games over the course of three days,” said Heinz.

   “The travel tournament was an opportunity for the team to play teams outside of San Diego County and bond as a team,” commented Senior Co-Captain Janelle Hicks. “We went up on Thursday and visited colleges in the area as well. Friday and Saturday was the tournament, and the team came back Saturday.”

   Senior Co-Captain Izzy Halaka added, “That weekend was about bonding and growing closer as a team, both in and out of the pool.”

   “As a team, we learned more from different strategies and team types; every team is slightly different — some are really fast and rely on counter attacks, some are really aggressive, and others rely on complex plays,” explained Hicks.

   “This tournament was a great opportunity to try out some of our new drills in a real game scenario, and to prep for future league games,” Halaka said.

   Halaka continued, “This tournament was different than normal, because we traveled a couple hours as a team and stayed together in a hotel to play a total of five games within two days. So it was much more tiring and fast paced.

   “This is the first time we have done something like this, but we hope to have more opportunities in future years,” Hicks added.

   “As a captain, one of the main responsibilities for this tournament was to make sure the team sticks together and that everyone is included and having a good time,” stated Halaka.