The UC High Girls Water Polo Team is charged and ready to dominate this season.

    “This season we are trying to be very competitive. We look out for one another and help where we can. Everyone is nice and energetic and we are always hyped to win,” said Sophomore Kayla Toman.

   “The atmosphere is very moving, and we have a lot of energy. Everyone wants to win and it shows in the game,” said Senior Dawn Bee Suh.

    This season, the team is competing in a different Division. Suh said, “It is not as challenging as it was last year, but with the number of girls and their experiences, I think Division 2 will be a good fit for us. Our set players [Junior] Ellie Harper and [Sophomore] Kylie Smith are really good at getting open and shooting amazing goals.”

    The opposing teams may have loads of talented players, but the girls project confidence about the future of this season. Though they expect most games to be close, they still think they will win the majority.

  This year is going to be different for the team. A lot has changed, starting with the amount of players that they now have. Last year, 12 people graduated, which made the team a lot smaller and a lot of people had to be brought up to the Varsity Team.

  The girls also have a new coach this year. Junior Maggie Prell said, “Having a new coach comes with its natural growing process and all of us are learning how to work with each other. The dynamics are different but we learn a lot from her.”

  Even the pool where the team is practicing has changed since last year. “I, personally, like having the new pool this year. It’s cool and convenient having it so much closer to the school,” said Prell.

  Prell added, “It’s new and fancy which is great and it really feels like it’s ours, because last year it really didn’t since we were right by a different high school and sharing it with multiple other schools. We get to have our colors on the lane lines and things like that just make it feel more special and spirited. It’s nice to have a place that is for us and our team and it helps us feel more like a UC sport since we are right by the school.”

  So far, the season is going well. Even though the team had a rocky start, playing a very tough game against Francis Parker School, they did not lose their confidence and are now trying to work on the mistakes they made.

   The girls also are very aware of their weaknesses, and they are striving to be better and work on them. “I think that our team has to work on keeping our heads on the swivel, meaning that we always need to be aware of where the ball is and who it could go to. We are not faster than the ball, so we have to make our next move based on where it is going” said Suh.

  The main goal for them is to get to CIFs and, based on how hard they work to be better, the UC Girls Water Polo Team is definitely on their way to achieving their goal.