Girls' water polo has trouble keeping afloat

Chase WohrleStaff WriterAfter being moved down from Division five to Division six, girls' water polo has gone 3-1 in the Ocean League and have high hopes for the post-season.Currently 9-10, the team seems to be having difficulty getting above a .500 record. In league, the team went undefeated against Torrance and Beverly Hills, beating both teams 6-3. The killer of their streak came from El Segundo, where they lost 7-5. However they recovered an 8-3 win against Culver City. Coach Matt Flanders isn't concerned with the past. The team was attacked from all angles while facing a tough schedule, even competing in a tournament without captain Lauren Nadel.'The record's not what I'm worried about," Flanders said. "I'm worried about performance against teams we should dominate. There are games like today [against Culver] where we didn't execute correctly, we kept it close for too long."Reflecting on the Beverly game, senior Jyoti Uppal agrees with Flanders."We can play a lot better," Uppal said.  "That's not a good measurement of how we can play."Last year the squad consisted of eight seniors, six juniors and three sophomores. Now, the seven seniors blend in with six juniors and five sophomores. The team finished their season  15-12, going 5-3 in the league and staying undefeated at home."They're great, they just need more water polo experience," said Flanders. "When we get to be two years from now, they'll be unstoppable."Sophomore Jessie Espera is also set on improving. As the bottom of the barrel on a varsity team, she is working to reach the skill of her older, more veteran players."It's a lot of pressure," she said. "That's the way we want to play when we get to their level."However, getting on that level may prove to be quite difficult. Much of the success can be attributed to Nadel. She has surpassed all of her teammates in shots, steals and assists, and is solely responsible for 38% of the team's goals."A really important part of leading a team is not just leading by example but also encouraging other players to step up," Nadel said.Aside from this, coach Flanders is still focusing on the whole team, not just utilizing Nadel."It's too easy to shut down one person," Flanders said.cwohrle@thesamohi.com