Matthew Schwanke
After a critical win over La Salle University on April 6, Mount St. Mary’s Women's Water Polo team qualified for a spot in the MAAC’s post-season tournament. With two games to go, the team has an overall record of 14-12 and a conference record of 4-5. Their record is good enough to have them sixth best in the conference and third in their division. According to many of the players the reason for this year’s successes has come from the improved unity of the team.
Hanah Sayre (C’25) stated, “The culture on the team this year has been wonderful, everyone is getting along and working with each other to succeed in and out of the pool.” Becca Valentine (C’25) said that the team has been on the same page all year, which is a big reason for the improvement. She credits it with improved play that she says could not have happened her freshman year. The captain of the team, Robyn Currie (C’25), agreed with both of her teammates. “This Season is about learning to trust each other. It’s been really cool to see the unity now in comparison to how it has been in the past.” This is the fourth year of the program’s existence meaning that it is the first class of players to go their whole career here at the Mount.
Another benefit of having four-year players is that the team has been able to improve together. Valentine explained, “Compared to our past few seasons this has been the year where we are truly competitors against all of the teams we are playing”, which in turn she said has allowed her and her teammates to stay motivated to work hard and prepare for every game. The season started off strong for the team until a tough stretch of games against ranked opponents on a west coast trip.
Since that trip, the Mountaineers are one game under .500, however they will be looking to do some damage over the last two games to improve their seed in the postseason. Despite the recent record, Currie is still confident in her team’s ability prove people wrong. “We have had some really strong moments that are leading into what can be some really great water polo. I am excited to keep going.” Although there have been some ups and downs for the team this year, there is still a lot of water polo left to be played, and a chance for the Mountaineers to show their stuff the rest of the season.
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