Girls’ Water Polo Prevails over Loomis, Sacred Heart, and Andover

By: Aveen Burney, Sophie Ma

On April 30, the Academy’s girls’ varsity water polo team played the Loomis Chaffee School and the Sacred Heart School in back-to-back games. The following Monday on May 2, the team saw a home game victory against Phillips Academy.

The game against Loomis Chaffee ended with a loss of 8-11. “The Loomis game was a nice rematch. We had played them in a very early game—they were our second game of the season,” coach Meg Blitzshaw explained. “It was nice to see some improvement, but also some spaces where we need some more polish.”

“[We were] playing back to back games, and we didn't play our best game against Sacred Heart,” Blitzshaw continued. “I think a lot of that was exhaustion from playing eight quarters back-to- back.”

The Sacred Heart match ultimately concluded with another unfortunate loss of 2-11.

“Even though we lost the games against Loomis and Sacred Heart, it was an enjoyable experience,” prep Sofia Wang said. “We pushed ourselves to play our best, and we can see our growth since our first game against Deerfield. We have gotten much better at communication and counterattack strategies.”

The game against Phillips Academy went much more favorably, as the team clutched a 15-7 win in their home pool. “The Andover game was exciting because it had to be rescheduled twice due to COVID related issues. Originally it was supposed to be in mid-April, so a month later we finally got to play our last game at home for our seniors,” Blitzshaw said. “It was a big deal. Neither team had won a game yet, so it was a big moment and the girls came out so strong.”

“It looked so much smoother and cohesive compared to some of our other games. I think we had eight different girls score in that game,” Blitzshaw added.

“It's a great team,” lower Sofia Contreras said. “Everyone really vibes. It feels like we're all besties. It's nice because the energy is always pretty up there, and even though we don't always win, it feels like we win because we keep up with that fun energy.”

For coach Blitzshaw and many of the girls on the team, this season marks a plethora of brand new experiences. “It's my first year coaching at Exeter,” Blitzshaw said. “It's been really fun to be at this pool. It's been a really good year and a good season and, from my perspective, it's really a chance to continue to sort of build momentum as we wrap up this year.”

The team has had its share of challenges, as many players are fairly new to the game. “For our seniors, if they played all four years, this is only their second season, because there was the no season [during COVID] and then the sort of on campus co-ed season,” Blitzshaw explained. “I'm excited that we finally have gotten to play, and I'm also sad for them that they haven't gotten to have the full water polo experience.”

“Most of us began with little to no water polo knowledge,” Wang agreed. “But I am thrilled to see how far we have come since then. Our coach and captains have been very helpful with teaching and guiding us during training. We have been focusing on our fundamentals, shooting skills, and counterattack positions through a variety of partner drills and half-court gameplay.”

Blitzshaw reflected a little on her own personal experiences with water polo. “My water polo career as an athlete started in my prep school years and it changed my life,” Blitzshaw said. “It was really a life changing thing for me and I'm excited for more students to get that chance [to play water polo].”

“It's exciting to be able to actually build a water polo program,” Blitzshaw continued. “I feel like the girls have been missing that with COVID. I think that's true for a lot of sports, but it's a different thing with water polo because so many students have never played before they get here as opposed to other sports where they might be exposed [before coming to Exeter].”

“It's a really exciting sport to build,” Blitzshaw added. “They've been working really hard.”

As the season came to a close, team mates reflected on fond experiences. “This season was amazing and I'm sad that it's come to an end,” prep Danixza Pinto said. “I feel as though we made a family amongst us. We have all improved remarkably in just these short 2 months. I hope that next year we will be able to become an even stronger team, focusing on the fundamentals that we have learned and to continue the legacy of our graduating seniors.”