Women’s water polo is up and running, and they’re having a ton of success. Currently sitting at 14-9 the ladies have four more regular season games before taking on the WWPA Tournament.

This season has been nothing short of amazing for the ladies and they have a chance to make history and turn in their best record as a program. 

“The key is just going to be consistency,” said senior attacker Kennedy Brubaker. “We need to keep pushing every day in practice, staying disciplined, and continuing to build off what we’ve already done. If we stay focused and keep working, I think we can finish really strong.”

“To finish the season strong, it really comes down to consistency and composure. At this point, everyone is talented, it’s about who can stay disciplined and execute under pressure,” said junior goalie Jaden Soto. “If we stay connected and play with confidence, I think we can do something special.”

Soto has been lights out in the cage for Concordia, garnering majority of her team’s saves and contributing to their rock solid defense. 

“I take a lot of pride in studying shooters, staying disciplined with my positioning, and being consistent in the little things; because at that position, details really matter,” said Soto. “At the same time, a huge part of my success comes from our defense. They do an incredible job of applying pressure and forcing outside, lower-percentage shots, which allows me to play more confidently and aggressively in the goal. When you trust the six players in front of you as much as I do, it lets you focus on just doing your job, and I think that’s been the difference.”

As great as the defense has been, the offense has been just as good. Sophomore center Sierrah Ferguson, who led the team in goals last year, is putting together another impressive year for her CV, including a four goal performance in the 12-7 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. 

“I’ve faced a lot of adversity this season, and I've learned to treat every game like it’s my last,” said Ferguson. “I give all my effort every possession to show up for not only myself, but my teammates.” 

Concordia’s season started off rough with three losses in four games against ranked opponents in the Triton tournament, but that has only helped to push them to new heights.

“I think playing ranked teams early on really challenged us and pushed us to grow,” said junior attacker Kailah Peery. “It helped build our confidence and showed us that we can compete at a higher level.”

 

“We’ve been using some of our games against top 10 nationally ranked teams to learn and pick up things we can use later, especially on both ends of the pool when it comes to conference play,” said Soto. 

Perhaps the biggest contributor to their success in the pool has been how close these ladies have been out of the water. They are way more than just a team, but a sisterhood that isn’t afraid to poke fun at each other. 

“If a teammate seems off, we address it immediately with a key phrase, POW. Keeping each other accountable is necessary in our culture,” said Ferguson.

 

Peery cites her favorite memories as beating #19 ranked UCSB 13-12, “and watching [sophomore teammate] Cassady [Woolley] fall into the pool with her robe on at CSMB.” 

 

“My favorite memory would have to be from our trip back from Monterey Bay,” said Ferguson. “We had an hour left in our 16-hour drive, and the energy was seriously lacking. We decided to turn on all of our flashlights and address who the best “deaf singer” is right then and there. It was a seriously unforgettable moment.” 

 

The team also did a Google survey among themselves where players could vote among themselves for team superlatives such as “most likely to win the hunger games” and “most likely to foul out.”

 

Ferguson, who has voted “best aux” has chosen to remain humble upon receiving her reward. “I think the award was given simply because I have all the team playlists saved on Spotify. Many of my teammates have much better taste than me, but it’s still fun to be given the honor!” 

 

Brubaker denied allegations of jealousy over not being voted most likely to be famous. “I think that’s completely fair. Cassady [Woolley] definitely has the talent to be famous, especially with her voice. I’ve heard her music and I genuinely think she could be famous right now if she starts releasing it. I’ll just say I knew her before she blew up.”

 

Soto has denied to comment on how she would manage her anger issues after being voted “most likely to crash out.”

 

This season has been nothing shy of both immensely successful and delightfully thrilling and the ladies on the team have more than enough personality to back it up.

 

Make sure to stay up to date with the ladies @cuiwwp on Instagram and come out to their next home game at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center on April 3 against Cal State Monterey Bay.

Tags: water polo, women's athletics

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