“Everyone to the wall,” called junior varsity water polo coach Frank Cardinale as he walked back and forth along the pool deck, clipboard in hand.

Scattered in clusters throughout the pool, groups of water polo players formed passing triangles, checking and practicing offensive moves, while others worked on shooting and defense. A sea of colored caps migrated to the edge of the pool, abandoning their balls.

At the close of their two hour try-out, the girls water polo team convened for a final workout. After hearing the directions and the blow of a whistle, they dove off the wall into a sprint, turning the blue pool white.

The girl’s water polo team is starting their season with intense training to prepare underclassmen and former junior varsity players to fill in the holes on the varsity team left by graduating seniors, according to varsity coach and Redwood alumnus Kirsten Frazer.

“One of the most important things will be for the girls to play with high pressure in practice,” Frazer said. “They need to play tough because varsity games are played at a fast-paced level.”

After losing eleven varsity seniors last year, the team is rebuilding. Just four players from last year’s team remain— senior Jacqueline Racich and juniors Caitlin Donnelly, Jacqueline Judd and Ashley Lamar.

“The core group of girls that have that experience will push and support the other girls to get them prepared for the varsity level,” Frazer said.

Junior and returning team captain Caitlin Donnelly will help guide the new players as  this will be her third year on varsity, according to Cardinale.

Team unity will be important because the team has not competed much together, according to senior captain Courtney Morris, a new varsity player,

“Many of the seniors who are going to be on varsity this year were on JV last year, so I think we want to connect more to the girls who were on varsity last year. We have practiced together but haven’t played against opponents,” Morris said.

On Aug. 20, before the teams were finalized, Redwood water polo played in a tournament and mixed up the JV and varsity teams. Redwood came out with a 2-1 record.

Frazer said that, like last year, the team is going to depend on every player rather than a stand out athlete.

“With this team it takes every one of them. There is not one star that is going to score all the goals. They need to work together,” Frazer said.

Frazer and senior captain Racich said they believe that along with the returning varsity team members, Morris will be a leader.

“Courtney Morris is really good at organization of the team. She is good at communicating and making sure everyone is on the same page,” Racich said. “She will be good for that leadership aspect of the team.”

Junior Jacqueline Judd understands what elements the team needs to improve on, given Judd has been a varsity player since her freshman year.

“One thing that has been a big issue with us is communication,” said Judd. “Eye contact is a big part of water polo, and when that gets mess up, the passing gets messed up and the shooting gets messed up. We are definitely looking to improve that.”

Frazer also recognized the improvement on the former communication challenge.

“They really are a team. They work well together and they communicate well, which has been one our struggles in the past,” said Frazer.

Junior Natalia Lazor is a promising rising varsity who will likely receive a lot of playing time, according to Frazer.

New underclassmen are also going to fill in key team roles. 

Sophomore Katie Treene who only began playing water polo a year ago, will be the team’s new goalkeeper. Frazer said that it is important that the team develops a strong defense to assist her as she is still learning and adjusting to the varsity level.

“With a young goalie, the focus of the beginning of the season will be getting the defense really solid. Then they will be able to capitalize on the mistakes of their opponent, which will lead to scoring in the offensive end,” Frazer said.

The Giants tied for sixth with Novato in MCALs last year, and Frazer believes that Novato and Tam will be the team’s closest competition this year.

In the last game of the 2015 season, the team defeated Tam 6-2, and is hoping to beat them again.

“We went in wanting to beat them really badly,” said Judd. “I think we all want that feeling again.”