Lady Warriors grab a win over the Eagles

Fallbrook Union High School's girls varsity water polo team is enjoying a great start to the season and Monday morning, head coach Sean Redmond was a little anxious.

Anxious may not be the right word, how about anxiously excited?

"We're patiently waiting for the power rankings to come out," Redmond said. "They should have been out this morning but they're not."

The rankings will help Redmond and the team figure out where they stand countywide – and considering they boast a 14-2 overall record this season with one of those losses coming in triple overtime – they should be standing on solid ground.

The Warriors moved back up to the CIF San Diego Section's Division 1 this season after last year losing in the finals of Division 2. With their overall record being so strong this season, they could be included in the Open Division of the year-end tournament.

"Your record will determine where you're going to be seeded," Redmond said. "As you go through a season, we could end up in the Open Division, or we could be in Division 1. When you start looking at the teams in Division 1, we're going to be on that cusp of being in the Open or in Division 1. As a coach, you always want to go up against the best. We'll go wherever we want to play and do what we can.

"Regardless of what division you're in, whether that be 1 or 2 or 3 or Open, you still have to play the game. That's what we're looking at."

Redmond said the success the Warriors are having is because the girls are playing well as a team.

"Which has been exciting as a coach to see," he said. "With all the goals we've scored, the number of assists we're getting, but also steals, that's what's really helping us as a team."

Close games against Great Oak, the loss in triple overtime to Granite Hills and the team's second loss of the season to Helix, after playing them for the second time in a week – Redmond thinks, has bonded the team.

"They've come together very well in the games we've been playing," he said.

Redmond said the team has tallied 226 goals and 185 assists so far this season.

"That definitely shows our players are looking out for each other," he said. "But 278 steals. That's a lot of steals for us and a lot of it is because of our speed and swimming ability."

Redmond said opposing coaches have expressed that they like playing the Warriors in a small pool as opposed to a large pool, because of their team speed.

"That's what we're known for," Redmond said.

Redmond said as a team, all the players are doing their parts to contribute to their success. He said there are four girls who he wanted to mention for their contributions.

"If I have to pick, I can't pick one," Redmond said. "There are four girls that are our team leaders."

Anna Draves and Sophia Wallace are the team captains and are doing well in their leadership roles. Redmond also mentioned Paris Dowden and Spanish foreign exchange student Aina Tiza-Serra for their contributions.

The Warriors will open league play at 4:15 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 16, against Escondido at home and then go on the road to take on Poway Tuesday, Jan. 21, in a rematch against their open in last season's CIF finals match.

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].