Scouting DuPage County girls water polo
Top teams: Naperville Central, Metea Valley, Naperville North, York.
Top games: Hinsdale South at Lyons Township, March 8; Naperville Tournament at Naperville North, March 9-10; Hinsdale Central Red Devil Invite, March 10; Metea Valley at Neuqua Valley, March 13; Waubonsie Valley at Naperville Central, March 13; Naperville Central Invite, March 16-17; York at Lyons Township, March 19; Naperville North at Naperville Central, March 20; Waubonsie Valley at Metea Valley, March 20; Metea Valley at Sandburg, March 21; Metea Valley at Prospect, March 22; Hinsdale South at Oak Park-River Forest, April 2; Naperville Central at Neuqua Valley, April 3; Naperville North at Waubonsie Valley, April 3; St. Charles North at Metea Valley, April 4; Oak Park-River Forest at York, April 4; Neuqua Valley at St. Charles North, April 5; Fenwick Tournament, April 6-7; Fenwick at York, April 9; Hinsdale Central at Hinsdale South, April 9; Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, April 10; Metea Valley at Naperville North, April 10; Hinsdale South at Morton, April 17; Neuqua Valley at Naperville North, April 17; Naperville Central at Metea Valley, April 17; Mother McAuley at Naperville Central, April 24; Hinsdale Central at Metea Valley, April 26; St. Charles East at Neuqua Valley, April 30; St. Charles East at Hinsdale Central, May 2; Metea Valley at Hersey, May 2; Stevenson Tournament, May 5.
Top players: Charlotte Albright (Naperville Central, Sr.); Gillian Allen (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Rylee Brower (Naperville Central, Sr.); Lexi Budnick (Metea Valley, Sr.); Ashley Buscher (Metea Valley, Sr.); Maddie Fitzpatrick (York, Sr.); Olivia Fix (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Maddie Fowler (Naperville North, Sr.); Rebecca Gray (Neuqua Valley, So.); Sadie Gregory (Metea Valley, Sr.); Cathy Guan (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.); Alli Horn (Naperville North, Sr.); Sydney Hutchinson (York, Sr.); Sophia Jonas (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Sofia Koledin (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Abbey Lewandowski (Neuqua Valley, So.); Marissa Logan (York, Sr.); Jody Nelson (Naperville Central, Jr.); Emma Radcliff (York, Jr.); Erin Roberts (Neuqua Valley, Jr.); Isabelle Rocco (Naperville North, Sr.); Devan Rospert (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Kelsey Ryan (Naperville North, Sr.); Becca Sarber (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.); Anna Scovill (Metea Valley, Sr.); Shealyn Streder (Metea Valley, Sr.); Alex Triko (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.); Briana Veslik (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Emily Wagner (Naperville Central, Jr.); Moleigh Waldherr (York, So.); Taylor Wessel (Naperville North, Jr.).
Outlook: When we last saw Naperville Central, it had finished second in state, earned a 33-3 overall record and made its 11th state finals appearance in the last 15 seasons. For another trip to the state finals to happen, the Redhawks must face the challenge of restocking its roster with a majority of last year's team having graduated. However, Naperville Central is not without experience on offense. Leading the charge will be senior Rylee Brower, who in her first season as a starter racked up 119 goals, 44 assists, 110 steals along with all-state recognition and a scholarship to play at the University of Michigan. "Rylee has a tremendous step out in front of the net. She's very good at establishing position from a neutral lock and creating space to get a shot off," coach Jeff Plackett said. The other returning starter, Charlotte Albright, also a senior, finished with 29 goals, 22 assists and 79 steals. Juniors Jody Nelson and Emily Wagner saw significant playing time in 2017 as the Redhawks made their way to state. Only three seniors are on this spring's roster and so younger players will be looked upon to make contributions, including sophomore goalkeeper Maria Gabrielli and junior Abbey Zeng. Another challenge facing Naperville Central, which is usually a challenge every season, is sectional competition, which is the last hurdle to state. Plackett said the Metea Valley sectional is deep in talent, especially what he considers a tough Naperville North team.
Speed and some key returning veterans will be vital for Naperville North, which earned a 21-11 record and sectional final appearance last year. Seniors Isabelle Rocco and Alli Horn contributed big-time to the offense in 2017, and coach Andy McWhirter expects more of the same this spring. "Isabelle brings a tremendous amount of speed and agility to the offense. Alli Horn's knowledge of the game will be the biggest asset to our team this year. She truly understands the flow of the game and the ability to transition from offense to defense," he said. Leading the defense is senior Kelsey Ryan and junior Taylor Wessel. Quickness and team play will be crucial for the Huskies' success according to McWhirter. "We are a fast team. We need to become a collective group from top to bottom. Our success will center on the strength of the team supporting each other," he said.
You can't blame Metea Valley for being excited about the season. The Mustangs were 26-5 last spring, reaching the sectional semifinals. Most of the team that made that possible returns. Coach Wyatt Jansen is looking for seniors Sadie Gregory, Anna Scovill, Lexi Budnick, Shealyn Streder and goalie Ashley Buscher to make the biggest impact for the Mustangs. "With a varsity squad composed almost entirely of seniors, expectations are high. Senior players are already showing great leadership and a drive to show continued individual and program growth," Jansen said. Speed and outside shooting should benefit Metea this season. "We have several strong outside shooters on the team this year and I expect mobility will be a strength. I expect an above-average amount of goals from or beyond the 5-meter line," the Metea coach said. Another thing boosting the Mustangs is having most of this year's players entering their fourth varsity season, further showing their strength of team cohesiveness. "In order to succeed this year, the team has to believe they are as good as they are. They must enter each game with confidence and ready to take all challenges head on. I believe we are in a unique position to beat some teams we never have for the first time this season. This team has the talent, the girls need to push themselves to a new level. The tools are there, they just have to step up and be the players they are capable of. We have a focus on playing smarter, using teammates, and being creative this year," Jansen said.
Neuqua Valley coach Cara Stack believes the Wildcats' increased confidence will go a long way toward improving 2017's 4-21-1 record and sectional quarterfinal appearance. "This year our strength would be confidence. Most of the girls on our varsity team are confident in taking shots and initiating offensive plays. Last year this is something we struggled with so I am looking forward to watching the girls input their confidence into the game," she said. Stack said sophomore Rebecca Gray, junior Erin Roberts and sophomore goalie Abbey Lewandowski will lead the way. "Abbey Lewandowski was our strongest form of defense last season, and Erin Roberts and Rebecca Gray assisted in several key plays and showed strong leadership and initiative in the pool. Looking forward to this season, I see strong leadership from all three players as well as them being motivators to their teammates. I look forward to see lots of shots as well as strong defense from all three," Stack said. Communication will as usual be crucial again this spring for Neuqua. "Our team must communicate. One of the biggest issues last season was the lack of consistent communication in the pool. In order to beat top teams such as Naperville Central, Waubonsie and Metea, it is important to communicate the location of the ball as well as each player communicating their position while running offensive plays," the Neuqua coach said.
First-year Waubonsie Valley coach Joe Poletto likes the Warriors' situation as the 2018 season gets under way. He believes the Warriors can be competitive this spring and then be in a good position for 2019 with most of the players returning. "Our team is looking pretty good. We have a really deep junior class," he said. The offense will be led again by senior Alex Triko, the team's leading scorer last season. "She was a dominant player as a junior, and I'm hoping for the same this season. She is coming into her own as a leader," Poletto said. He is also looking for juniors Becca Sarber and Cathy Guan to make an impact regarding leadership and their play in the pool. "Everyone on the team put in a lot of work during the off-season," Poletto said.
York had a high-powered offense that helped lead to a 23-7-1 record and sectional final appearance kind of season. Four of the seven starters from that team return. Senior Sydney Hutchinson, an all-sectional pick in 2017, scored 112 goals for the Dukes. Sophomore Moleigh Waldherr scored 84 goals with more scoring punch coming from seniors Marissa Logan, Maddie Fitzpatrick. "It's nice to have experience in the pool. We're using similar offense schemes that we used last season, but we're trying new things," coach Mark Giuliani said. Stepping in as goalie is junior Emma Radcliff, who made 19 saves and stopped a 5-meter penalty shot in Tuesday's 11-8 season-opening loss to Naperville North. "We're stressing communication and our counterattack. We have quickness. Defense wins championships and that's always a big focus," Giuliani said.
Hinsdale Central coach Christopher Ortiz said defense will be important to the Red Devils' improving on last season's 16-11-1 record and sectional quarterfinal appearance. "In order to be successful, the team needs to continue to play to their strengths on defense. Doing so will force turnovers and allow them to shorten the pool and lead to goals in transition," he said. Seniors Maddie Fowler, Olivia Fix and Sophia Jonas will have a significant impact on the team, according to Ortiz. Fowler is Hinsdale Central's top returning scorer with 22 goals. Fix is key to the defense, having made 21 steals last season. Jonas came through with key goals toward the end of the regular season, which were crucial to getting wins. "I have a core group of seniors that have been playing together for four years and know one another very well. They have grown to form a cohesive unit with great communication and camaraderie. The players that are new to varsity are poised to make an impact and contribute immediately," Ortiz said.
First-year coach Carrie Nelson is stressing conditioning and focusing on improving skills on offense and defense as the Hinsdale South Hornets try to build upon last season's first-round sectional appearance and single-digit victory total. Seniors Briana Veslik, Devan Rospert, Gillian Allen and Sofia Koledin are veterans that Nelson will need to lead the team. "Numbers are up in the program, and that will keep the team's players fresh in the water being able to substitute more often," she said.