Over the next few days, girls water polo will prepare for their District Semi-final game on Wednesday, May 10.

A victory could be their ticket to a three-year State attendance streak.

Last year, the team placed second in State after losing to Oakville in the State Championship. The year before, girls water polo won the State Championship, and this year’s team hopes to recreate that success.

“I’m pretty hyped,” Olivia Bryzski, freshman, said.

This is Bryzski’s first year on the team, and she said water polo has given her something to look forward to after school and a community to be a part of. 

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think, overall, we’ve come back from our losses and improved a lot as a team,” Bryzski said.

Bryzski said the team has gained confidence and learned to work better together, which led to their successes later in the season.

“A lot of it is just mental. We’ve had a better attitude going into the recent games,” Bryzski said.

This past weekend varsity girls water polo beat Kirkwood 15-5 in the first round of Playoffs.

Claire Maniscalco, head coach, said the girls have been specifically reviewing fundamentals and basics. She said she has told her team countless times to “treat every game as an opportunity.”

“They finally have the opportunity to do what boys teams have been doing for years,” she said.

Maniscalco said she is most proud of the support system the team has created for one another, despite their struggles of being a small and developing team.

“It would mean everything to these girls to make it to state,” she said. “They work incredibly hard and want to prove themselves.”

Earlier in the season, the team had coaching troubles due to the newly hired coach resigning and paperwork delays for potential replacements, but they have since overcome that hurdle with only one loss to Ladue. 

Sydney Barkley, junior, said injuries, sickness and not placing in the district seat they expected have contributed to the “roller coaster” of a season the team has had.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs,” Barkley said.

Barkley, who began playing water polo her sophomore year, said the girls’ secret to success has been their friendships.

“We’re all kind and supportive and work hard, I think that’s been our secret,” Barkley said.