The LTHS girls varsity water polo team dove into this season with determination. With a different team dynamic from last year, the girls have managed a season record of 16-8, and are ready to continue competing as they play the first round in the state series tonight.

“We’re feeling strong for the road to state,” Kaysie Stuba ‘18 said. “But, we’re also feeling anxious.”

Stuba is the first starting freshman on varsity since 2008, and has contributed to the team cohesion and chemistry, Head Coach Lauren Burel said.

The team is top 10 in state, and its biggest competition was Oak Park River Forest, who defeated them in conference after a 7-5 defeat in regular season with help from their strong goalie. Burel has focused on fundamentals and intensity in practice in order to prepare for the game.

“It comes down to being able to put the balls in the cage,” Burel said. “We go into games, and if we lose, we don’t sit and linger on our loss. We take from our loss, adjust our game and build when we win. [The girls] are good at taking one day, one practice, one game at a time.”

The team can also attribute its success to a solid defense, something that has been heavily focused on in practice.

“Our defense is team defense; everyone plays their part,” Burel said. “Every part of our defense is where they need to be. We haven’t had many games where the teams have scored over 10 goals on us. That’s a good testament to the kind of defense we have.”

The overall team chemistry has shown in the pool as well.

“We are around each other for so long everyday, and while there are tough moments, we love it,” Annika Moore ‘17 said. “Our team chemistry has helped us in the pool. We respect each other.”

The five starting seniors—Julia Cohen ‘15, Emma Hurt ‘15, Jessie Wittenberg ‘15, Caroline Walsh ‘15 and Erin Yang ‘15—have been playing with one another for years and know each others tendencies in the water, helping their performance as a team.

“It really helps the team to have a strong foundation of seniors, because having such a strong bond with people while playing with them is really important,” Walsh said. “It helps the team a lot, because we’re mentally there together. It’s good for the underclassmen too because they’re brought into a welcoming group of seniors.”

The girls lost against OPRF in conference on May 15, and have won Sectionals finals against Mother McAuley, and play against Conant at Stevenson High School tonight.