Girls water polo preview: CdM ready to build from last year

Steve Virgen

Three years had passed and the Corona Del Mar High girls water polo

team was without a league championship and a CIF Southern Section playoff

appearance. Until last year.

The Sea Kings welcomed themselves into the Pacific Coast League and

the playoffs with a share of the league title and a run into the CIF

Division IV championship game (a 7-4 loss to Santa Margarita). This year,

CdM will look to feed off that experience.

“It will benefit tremendously for the girls,” CdM Coach John Vargas

said of the playoffs experience. “It will help if we get back there.”

The Sea Kings will try to get back there without three players who

went on to play for California universities.

CdM lost goalie Erin Hendrickson, now at Long Beach State, Ellen Orbe,

a two-meter defender now at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Hayley Hapeman,

a left-hander now at UC San Diego.

Vargas is hoping four sophomores will step, three of whom started last

year. Christina Hewko, Danielle Carlson, and Daniela DiGiacomo return as

starters, while Vargas said he has been impressed with Brittney Bowlus.

Though the CIF playoff experience is an important motivational tool

for the Sea Kings, Vargas is not mentioning it much this early in the

season.

“That would be running even before we start walking,” Vargas said.

“There’s just been so much to do with the boys in the playoffs. It’s been

tough to deal with.”

After directing the boys team to a CIF Division II title, Vargas has

been scrambling to get the girls on schedule. Usually, the Sea Kings list

and discuss academic and athletic goals for the season. But, with the

boys’ playoff run, Vargas has failed to sit down with his girls team. He

hopes to deal with the goals Monday.

And aside from the goals, Vargas said he doesn’t know what to expect

this early in the season, more so than other years because of the team’s

youth.

This year’s team features just two seniors, Lindsey Daley and Malia

Tarayao, on the 15-player squad.

With the Sea Kings’ first game Wednesday at El Modena, Vargas expects

to have most of his questions answered.

“We are young,” he said. “They are working hard right now in

practices. We’ll see how they react to the game.”

CORONA DEL MAR GIRLS WATER POLO

Brittney Bowlus So.

Danielle Carlson So.

Katie Cole Jr.

Lindsey Daley Sr.

Daniela DiGiacomo So.

Jessica Fries Jr.

Lauren Guthrie Jr.

Jessica Harkins So.

Christina Hewko So.

Kelli Kline So.

Alexa Miller Jr.

Hayley Sheetz Jr.

Malia Tarayao Sr.

Jessica Wells Jr.

Coach John Vargas