Women’s Water Polo Prevails in District Round Robin Tournament
Reaching for the ball, Effie Castel ’24 defends against the Cedar Ridge player she’s on. Her interception helped stall opponent advancement.
Defending the ball, Christina Stassforth ’24 reaches high to block her opponent’s pass. The team was soon able to gain control of the ball after an unsuccessful goal from Bryan.
After strategizing their next moves, the Warriors give an encouraging cheer as they enter the third quarter.
The Women’s Waterpolo team played in the District Round Robin tournament against Bryan, Round Rock, and Cedar Ridge at the RRISD Natatorium on Saturday, Sept. 24. This was the team’s second tournament and the girls worked hard to improve their gameplay and communication in preparation for the three rounds.
The Warriors played their first match against Bryan, maintaining their four-game win streak with a score of 16-2. Summer Jogee ‘24 scored her first goal this season and helped the rest of the team maintain a strong effort. The Warriors scored a total of seven points in the first quarter and drove hard to maintain their six-point lead throughout the game.
“I scored it and didn’t know if I did it right because it was my first goal,” Jogee said. “It was exciting after the fact [because] everyone started cheering.”
The second match was between Westwood and Cedar Ridge. The Warriors strategized who would sprint for the ball and which players to send on the opponent’s defenders for the best results and won 18-6. Effie Castel ‘24 and Valerie Zhang ‘24 scored four goals in total, despite competing in a swim meet just prior to the tournament.
“We adapted who sprinted for the ball, [used] the wheel play, and [had] overall communication in the pool,” Castel said. “We implemented strategies including our best players defending the opposing teams’ best players in the Cedar Ridge game.”
The girls lost against their last opponent, Round Rock 13-3. The competition was tense, but the team pushed forward, scoring two more points in the second half of the game despite tough opponent defenses.
“The toughest [team] today was definitely [against] Round Rock in our third game,” Castel said. “We faced them by pressing as hard as we could, trying to make good passes, and being aware of our surroundings overall.”
The girls will compete again on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the RRISD Natatorium.
Class of 2024
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