Girls water polo: Scouting Northwest

BarringtonTop players: Andrea Potgieter, Nicole Runtz, Heidi Pallan, Morgan Kelly, Courtney Blum

Outlook: The Fillies had a strong showing in their opener against Wheeling and have proven players back in Potgieter, Runtz and Pallan. Barrington finished 23-6 overall last year and 8-2 in the MSL West.

Buffalo GroveTop players: Lauren Komrska, Dasha Yermol, Sarah Harner, Kate Godley

Outlook: Coach Jeff Skalon's team finished 10-18 overall and 5-5 in the MSL East last season.

ConantTop returning players: Paulina Chowaniec (Sr.), Cam Rosas (Sr. Goalie), Olivia Konieczny (Sr.), Lea Cejvan (Sr.), Aly Wooley (Jr.), Nia Tsoulos (Jr.), Amy Rodriguez (Jr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Olivia Olszewski (So.), Sarah Erne (So.), Amanda Skittone (Jr.), Christina Chase (Jr.)

Team outlook: Last year, Conant returns only two varsity starters - yet still managed to win itself a sectional title. This year, coach Justin Bickus is bringing back six players who were starters last season. "I think we are much further along as a team than we were this time last year," Bickus aid. "A core group of girls played off-season and the improvement is evident. Cam looks great in goal, Paulina Chowaniec has really leveled her game up. Aly Wooley and Lea Cejvan are super tough defenders and have improved shooting, Olivia Konieczny and Nia Tsoulos will give us some added weapons and experience playing a bunch of minutes last year." Bickus also see great potential in Amy Rodriguez, Olivia Olszewski and Sarah Erne. "We're setting our goals high but are going one game at a time. This group loves to play the sport and that's our biggest strength."

Elk GroveTop returning players: Hannah Sallenback (Sr.), Kaylee Hatfield (Soph.), Alyssa Bonilla (Jr.), Abby Farmer (Jr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Gillian Guerra(Jr.), Melena Herrera(Soph.), Kate Duffy(Sr.), Olivia Nieves(Jr.)

Team outlook: Coach Jason Spjuth aims to get more players involved on the offensive end and feels like he's got an improving all-around group capable of making team gains. "I am hoping that our new leaders continue to play solid defense and demonstrate the offensive capabilities that have grown in the past year," Spjuth said. "Our team has made a commitment to improving, and this is evident based on the amount of girls on the team that not only swam in the fall but also played winter water polo. The commitment that this group of girls has made to get better, any chance they get, should help continue to push us in the direction we have been heading the last couple of seasons."

FremdTop returning players: Emily Kini (Sr.), Paulina Pappas (Sr.), Lauren Streitmatter (Jr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Megan Helsdingen (Soph.), MJ Poss (Soph.)

Team outlook: The defending MSL West champs will make an effort to maintain a high level of achievement, but it will happen plenty of new faces in the lineup. "Over two-thirds of the team is new to the varsity level, so we are looking to make improvements each practice and game day," said coach Ray Roth. "The team has displayed a great attitude and effort every day. We have many challenges to overcome but so far the girls have taken them on without hesitation. The team believes with hard work, perseverance and patience as the season continues they will become a much stronger team in all areas."

HerseyTop returning players: Emily Van Grinsven (senior, goalie), Maxine Sullivan (senior, goalie), Katie Lindgren (junior, driver), Madison Burkhalter (junior, hole set), Karolina Niemiec (senior, wing).

Promising varsity newcomers: Meghan Pfeiffer (junior, hole D), Melissa Pollina (senior, driver)

Team outlook: Coach Megan Brownley says the Huskies' goals are to win the East Division and to be highly competitive in sectionals. "Given our new home at the Prospect Natatorium, we are excited for the better training opportunities available in this great facility," Brownley says. "We are looking to continue to improve our offense, and we have a very dedicated and hard-working group of girls this year. We are very excited for another season and are ready to face the many challenges together."

Hoffman EstatesReturning players: Benita Varanauskaite (Soph.), Abigail Fuscone (Soph.)

Newcomers: Kathryn Chapek-Segal (Fr.), Elena Arias (Fr.), Makayla Solarzano (Fr.).

Outlook: Coach Chris Fetterman will put a premium on development as the Hawks will field a much younger group this year. "We are looking to rebuild after losing 98 percent of our scoring offense from a year ago," Fetterman said. "Five underclassmen in the rotation will pay off down the road."

Maine WestTop returning players: Kristen Burger (Sr.) Katie Lane (Sr.), Nina Martin (Jr.), Anastasiya Sahayda (Soph.)

Team outlook: Coach Drew Schneider says he's hoping is group can improve on last year's finish - which won't be easy. The Warriors finished as runners-up in the Central Suburban North and made the final four in the sectional.

PalatineTop returning players: Ashley Helminski (Sr.), Meghan Woell (Sr.), Kaley Mockus (Sr.), Emily Miehlke (Sr.), Kiki Herbst (Jr.)

Promising newcomers: Martika Theis (Sr.), Harper Appel (Jr.), Natalia Koval (Jr.), Allie Rywelski (Jr.), Aine Reaney (Jr.), Claire Davis (Jr.)

Team outlook: Senior captains Ashley Helminski, Meghan Woell and Kaley Mockus lead an inexperienced Pirates squad with a lot of new faces. Coach Mitch Tucker says his Pirates are a hard-working bunch and eager to learn, and he hopes to see a lot of improvement as the season goes on.

ProspectTop returning players: Gracie Dix (Sr.), Colleen Doyle (Jr.), Megan Pfeiffer (Sr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Mary Clare McAleer (Sr.), Katie Mueller (So.)

Team outlook: With three key players back from last year's MSL East-winning effort, the Knights are setting their sites high. Prospect hopes to repeat as East Division champions and then would like to improve upon the results in the MSL title match. "Over half the team played in the off-season," said coach Natalie Tucker, "so look for us to make some early noise in conference matches. Our defense will continue to play smart and strong. We are trying some new things offensively, which if they work, will make us exponentially a bigger threat. If things go well, this could be the best season in the history of Prospect water polo."

Rolling MeadowsTop returning players: Emily Walters (Sr.), Betsy Zanocco (Sr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Dorothy Enabe (Jr.), Julia Skwerski (So.), Liyah Glaser (Jr.)

Team outlook: The Mustangs lost four key seniors last year after a record-breaking 22-9 season. But coach Kelli Lussow has a couple of standouts from that team back, along with a few varsity players completely new to the sport. The Mustangs are hoping for a fun, successful season and a .500 record. Zanocco, a senior, will see plenty of time in the field, as Glaser gets the call as goalie for a program that has been very strong defensively.

Offensively, Lussow says the Mustangs will continue to work on building endurance and taking quick shots off drives.

SchaumburgTop returning players: Brianna Vasquez (Sr.), Hannah Pearson (Sr.), Ingrid Hay (Jr.), Sidney Rosenblum (Sr.), Magda Jasinska (Jr.), Kailey Cordova (Soph.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Kira Pilate-Jean (Sr.), Hannah Trujillo (Sr.), Emma Rutherford (Sr.), Lindsey Bach (Jr.)

Team outlook: "We have depth this year when looking at our varsity bench and have a whole new junior varsity team made up of freshmen and a few sophomores," says Schaumburg coach Beth Donatucci. "We have eight seniors this year who are hungry to prove themselves in the MSL. Our defensive game will be strong and we finally have some speed, which will greatly impact our offensive game. We are at a turning point in our program where we have a good mix of veterans and newcomers. We have room for growth with this new batch coming in."

St. Viator

Outlook: Coach Lisa Torri's team struggled in its season opener against Hersey but had much better results in its second game of the year, a 9-8 loss to De La Salle. In that contest, Zoe Green had 3 goals, Julie Warren had 2 and Clare Colgan, Paige Laskiewiz and Ritarose Battin had 1 apiece.

WheelingTop returning players: Holly Schroeder (Jr.), Elizabeth Wargo (Sr.)

Promising varsity newcomers: Katerina Papaioannou (Soph.), Meghan Hergert (Soph.)

Team outlook: The Wildcats are looking to improve upon last season's record of 1-17, with first-year coach Jess Xenakis leading the way. "With a very dedicated group of young girls, we are hungry and ready to climb our way back up to the top," Xenakis said. "One of the many changes we will be making this season is really emphasizing fundamentals, working as a team, and feeding off of each others' strengths. As we continue to strengthen our defense, we know that our offense will follow. With our girls being so open-minded and willing to learn and adapt, we know that we'll have more success this season."