Photo credit to Denend Family
The girls varsity water polo team has a 12-7 record so far under Coach Kelsey Holshouser. The team also sits in third place in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) heading into postseason play.
The leadership of upperclassmen has given the team an advantage over the rest of the league due to their experience, especially on the defensive side. “On the defensive end, Kyra Sheeper, Lauren McGinnis and Kate Denend are leading the effort.”
Although the Bears have been getting a lot of consistent play from these players, Holshouser took note of an underclassmen who has made an unexpected impact defensively.
“Molly Banks, a sophomore, has come into her own on the defensive end of the pool. She’s picked up the center defender position quickly and has come up with a lot of shot blocks as well.” The Bears may need more young stars in order to make a deep run in their league tournament and possibly into Central Coast Section (CCS) in the next couple of weeks.
Let’s not forget about the team’s offensive playmakers. Holshouser praised two of her players on the offensive end: “Annabelle Paris leads us in scoring and Maddie Maxwell has also been contributing significantly.”
Holshouser isn’t putting too much pressure on her players as they head into the playoffs. “We’re heading into our league tournament next week with the goal of improving our standing (in the league).”
As the Bears have now completed their league head-to-head games, they are looking for redemption in tournament play. “We’ll likely see at least one of the teams to whom we lost our league matchup to,”commented Holshouser.
The Bears have finished most of their season, but they are now facing the toughest bulk of their schedule as pressure mounts to finish strong in tournament play and possibly head off to CCS.
With some star upperclassmen and up-and-coming players, don’t be surprised if the Bears make a big move during postseason play.
