The Drake junior varsity (JV) girls’ water polo team played a home game against Tam on October 24, where they were unfortunately defeated by Tam 6-10 after a courageous fight. 

Although the Drake girls didn’t win, they had a strong play.

“Jordan Loftin has been a pretty influential player throughout our season. She’s very strong in set and knows how to shoot from about every angle, it’s a lot of fun to see her play and her emotions while playing,” said Anika Lundbaek, a junior on the JV team. 

Since some of the Drake players were sick, players had to step into positions that they don’t usually play. The team struggled a bit, but their overall cohesiveness, even in the face of illness, was amazing to watch.

“I’m really proud of our substitute goalies (shout out to Adriana Medina and Mahala Peter-Frank.) Adriana had some awesome blocks today. I also thought Dunara Senadheera did well today,” said Tayleigh Birkie, a freshman JV player.

The Drake team definitely didn’t go down without a fight. To see this in action, look no further than a clash for the ball between Sophia Riemer and a Tam player. Directly in front of the Drake goal, Tam was about to score before Riemer got the ball after a battle, preventing the other team from scoring.

As the end of the regular season is approaching, the team members have mixed emotions about the approaching finish.“I am a bit sad since this is our last MCAL game of the season, but I am overall proud of how the team and I performed and grew throughout the season,” said Birkie.

The girls’ varsity team followed the JV match, beating Tam 12-8 led by seniors Liyara Senadheera and Anna Wooster.

“Both of our seniors have had a really big impact on this team, Senadheera being our goalie and Wooster being one of our strongest players,” said Claire McDonald, a junior on the varsity team. 

During the varsity game, Wooster had a few powerful blocks, a great way to start the closing of the season. The enthusiasm shown by these seniors and all other members of these two teams made the games exciting to watch. 

After taking home the first place pennant in MCALs this Saturday, the varsity girls are continuing on to NCS ranked first in division one.