Sweeping through their competition, the girls’ water polo team gathered at the Round Rock Aquatics Center on Friday, Oct. 4 for their district tournament. Their four victories throughout the day landed them the championship trophy and secured their spot in the playoffs. 

The girls started their day with their most important game of the day against the Round Rock Dragons. Due to their loss against the Dragons earlier in the season, the Warriors needed to win this game to secure a top spot. So, the Warriors did just that as they bested Round Rock on both sides of the court, eventually coming out on top 3-2. 

“The first time we played [Round Rock] was our first district game. We were still getting our team chemistry, we hadn’t had a lot of practices under our belt, but this was the game we’ve been working towards the whole season,” Bella D’Alessandro ‘25 said. 

The Dragons started the game off with aggressive offensive moves, taking multiple shots on goal in the first quarter. Eventually wearing down the Westwood defense, the Dragons made it through in the second quarter, setting the score 1-0 well into the game. Westwood, now on the offensive, combatted the Round Rock defenses with impressive offensive maneuvers which kept the Dragons on their heels. However, Round Rock eventually fell to the Warriors’ advances, tying the score 1-1 after the Dragons’ goalie gave the Warriors a free five-meter shot after receiving an exclusion foul. 

“Some of our primary scorers may have not scored as much as they normally do [that game], but we got it back on defense which is what we needed,” D’Alessandro said. 

Another foul rewarded Sara Horsey ‘27 with a five-meter penalty throw. After setting the score at 2-1, the energy in and out of the pool shifted as the Warriors took the lead. 

“It feels pretty good [to make penalty throws]. I don’t stress [during] the five meters, I just do what I do and I hope it works,” Horsey said. 

Starting the second half, Round Rock continued their offensive pursuit but were caught off guard as the Warriors intercepted the ball and quickly scored another open goal putting the game 3-1, continuing the Warriors’ offensive streak. Now, going into the fourth quarter of the game, a goal from the Dragons brought the score to 3-2. However, this was the Dragons’ final push as the Warriors killed the clock and choked out Round Rock, securing their first victory of the day. 

“I think our defense won us the game. We got goals off of turnovers and steals, but we didn’t set our offense like we normally do,” D’Alessandro said. “Our defense is really good, we just need[ed] to keep up with that.”

The girl’s water polo team’s first-ever win against Round Rock finished with celebratory cheering and anticipation to see what the girls had in store for the rest of the day. 

“They beat us last time, and now we beat them, so I was really happy. [Winning against Round Rock] was important for seeding in the next round,” Horsey said. “Luckily our [later games versus Midway and McNeil] aren’t going to be as intense.”

Following the first game of the day, the Warriors continued their winning streak with an uncontested 7-3 victory against the Midway Panthers. 

“We thought we were going to play Cedar Ridge second so it was a little bit unexpected to play Midway. But [Cedar Ridge is] a little bit of a harder [competition], so I think it was good to have a little [reprieve],” Claire Braun ‘25 said. 

Although the team hadn’t played the Panthers this year besides a matchup at the pre-season Ridgewood Rumble tournament, their confidence in their defense and more offensive pursuits landed them the victory. 

“It’s harder to get away [from] defense against Round Rock because we’re all so concentrated on defense,” Braun said. “We have an easier time [against Midway], so I was able to get away from defense early a couple of times.”

The Warriors’ third game of the day, against the Cedar Ridge Raiders, proved to also be significant. Ending the fourth quarter with a 6-6 tie, the game continued into two three-minute overtime periods, and the Warriors emerged victorious again with an 8-6 triumph. 

“We expect[ed Cedar Ridge] to have a really good [shooter] and fast swimmers. Other than that, I [thought] we’d be able to handle them,” Elyse Osborn ‘27 said. 

Following a two-hour break, the team took to the water for their last game of the day, this time against the McNeil Mavericks. Finishing strong, the Warriors dominated the Mavericks 7-1. The perfect end to the season, the team’s win streak of the day placed them first on the podium in the tournament and the district. 

“Four games in a day is a lot, normally we only do one game. [We had to] make sure we [didn’t] get tired the rest of the day. [But] I [felt] pretty confident in our team, and our coach McBrearty is the best coach ever,” D’Alessandro said.

The girls’ water polo team will continue to the post-season playoffs on Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Round Rock Aquatic Center.