After a small spring-break hiatus, the girls water polo team left no room for relaxation as they quickly jumped back into action.

On Friday, April 1, the girls had their first major loss against Fenwick High School, a team ranked in the top three in the state. The girls hadn’t played the Friars since last year. The Trevians walked into the Friday game with confidence and a positive attitude as they hoped to beat their rival.

Things were looking up for the Trevians as they scored two goals in the first quarter of the game. Junior Emma Valdisser explained, “They are one of the best teams in the state, and they are a team we really want to beat.”

Not only did the girls want to win the game, but this was also a test of their endurance and commitment as a team.

Junior Kami Grochowski added, “Fenwick is always a big game for us; playing them is a test to see where we are at and what we need to improve on.”

With the pressures of doing well and beating the team, Grochowski said, “When we were down two, we all knew we needed to absolutely battle for it. Defense is what New Trier is all about. We knew we needed to keep our hips way out of the water so they couldn’t reach our suits, and we needed to press them up against the lane.”

Junior Sarah Caywood said, “For the Catholic teams we know to expect a lot of aggression and underwater play. This goes for any team but the Jesuit schools are known for their aggression. In water polo every player is key.”

While the Fenwick team played a tough game, the New Trier girls never gave up. In the fourth quarter, Grochowski tied the score at 7. Even with the tremendous amount of teamwork and confidence, Fenwick scored once more to win the game 8-7.

Though this was a blow to the team, morale and hopes were high for the tournament the next day.

Caywood explained the mindset of the team as they go into each game. “We always walk into the game with a positive attitude. We have a really strong team this year and have the potential to beat anybody.”

On Saturday, April 2, the girls water polo team played Lyons, St. Ignatius and Mundelein.

Valdisser said before the matches, “As long as we’re confident, we can easily win.”

While the team didn’t win all three games, they did win two of the three. The loss was against St. Ignatius, who won the game 14-4. Despite that loss, the team beat Lyons 5-3 and Mundelein 15-3.

Even with a successful tournament, there is room for improvement.

According to head coach Matt Wendt, “We just got the whole team together last week with some swimmers finishing their seasons over the break. We need to learn how to communicate and play better as a team,” Wendt said.

These areas of improvement haven’t gone unnoticed to the players on the team, Valdisser said, “I think what I would do differently is to be more aware of the game in terms of where the ball is and where my teammates are.”

The team is working on improving in practice. Wendt said, “Our defense in front of the goal and against drivers needs some improvement.” He hopes to further advance their defense strategy during their next games.