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Season Preview: Added Depth Gives Water Polo New Look in 2009

Women's Water Polo CSU Bakersfield Athletic Communications

Season Preview: Added Depth Gives Water Polo New Look in 2009


Outlook

After a solid 19-win campaign in 2008, second-year CSUB water polo Head Coach Jason Gall has 11 new reasons to be optimistic about this season's team. Gall recruiting class has more than doubled the size of last year's squad, eight of whom return in 2009.

The added depth will allow Gall to alter the team's offensive strategy. Last season, the ?Runners focused on conserving energy on the offensive side of the pool so there wouldn't be any defensive lapses. With a deeper and more talented bench, Gall hopes to open up the offensive playbook and give some of his playmakers a chance to let go and just play. While the team thrived a year ago, putting together a winning season and nabbing two All-America honorees, Gall expects this season's squad to be stronger and more dynamic.

“Instead of spending the first part of the season going over basics, I feel we are picking up where we left off at the end of last year,” explained Gall. “We are further ahead on the learning curve so the expectations are much higher. This year, we can play at a bit faster pace so that some of last year's players who had to hold back a little bit can go hard then get a sub so they can rest. Last year we couldn't do that.”

The Schedule

The 2009 slate reflects Gall's commitment to elevating the program into a national contender.

“I firmly believe in having our team play up to our opponents rather than playing down to them,” said Gall. “I would much rather lose 10 games to top-10 teams, and have the experience of playing them, than to win 10 games against unranked teams. Eventually, you will start to beat some of those top ten teams. It's good to have a mix of games with some that you are confident in winning and then there are games that you know might be a stretch. We have a very competitive schedule which includes 20 contests against teams that finished in the top-20 last year.”

Included in the Roadrunners' list of opponents are eleven teams that finished 2008 ranked in the CWPA's top 20. Stanford (No.3), UC Davis (No. 5), Cal (No. 6), Arizona State (No. 9), Michigan (No.10), Loyola Marymount (No. 11), UC Irvine (No. 12), Long Beach State (No. 15), Santa Clara (No. 18), UC Santa Barbara (No. 19) and Brown (No. 20) will all face the ?Runners this season. The Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships are scheduled for April 24-26 in Santa Clara, Calif., with the winner receiving an automatic bit to the 2009 NCAA National Championship Tournament in College Park, Md., May 8?10.
CSUB opens its season on Jan. 24 at the Cal Baptist Invitational in Riverside, Calif. The Roadrunners will host two invitational tournaments this season, on February 14 and March 27.

The Seniors

Leading the way for the ?Runners in 2009 will be two-meter Amanda Ortiz (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Universidad de Puerto Rico), who netted 104 goals in 2008 and garnered American Water Polo Coaches Association (AWPCA) All-America honors. While her offensive stats were impressive, it was matched only by her defensive performance as she also led the ?Runners in steals with 74. Gall believes Ortiz is primed for another great season even though teams will be targeting the Ponce, Puerto Rico, native.

“Ortiz is a very versatile player,” said Gall. “One of her biggest strengths is that we can move her around as needed based on the opponent we are playing.”

In goal, senior Veronica Campbell (Concord, Calif./Diablo Valley JC) recorded a nation's best 429 saves as she joined Ortiz on the ACWCP All-America team. Campbell went 18-13 and was a calming force for the Roadrunner defense which helped spark the offensive attack.

“Veronica gives our team a lot of confidence,” said Gall. “When our defense is confident, it makes our offense better because it allows us to be more aggressive.”

Co-captain Katherine Gillette (Porterville, Calif./Monache HS) could be one of the biggest benefactors from Gall's new offensive strategy. Rather than concentrating on preserving her energy for the defensive end of the pool, Gall believes that Gillette could become a major offensive force.

“Katherine is a great leader in and out of the water,” said Gall. “She isn't the biggest player we have but she commands respect from her actions and the way she carries herself. She has a great work ethic and is a good representative of the coach. Last season she played well but I think she was a bit hesitant and reserved on offense. Already this year in practice I see her playing looser and with more confidence. She could really have a breakout year.”

Petra Koudelkova (Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic/Chaffey College) was elected along with Gillette as team captain this season. Koudelkova was one of the Roadrunners' most consistent performers last year, finishing second on the team with 84 goals. She earned first-team WWPA all-league and all-tournament honors.

The Juniors

Driver Becky Seelos (Redwood City, Calif./Woodside HS) put together a strong sophomore campaign, emerging as the team's third leading scorer behind Ortiz and Koudelkova.

“Becky came on strong at the end of the year,” Gall explained. “In the last month of the season she really got comfortable shooting and it has carried over to this year. She is one of our fastest swimmers and plays really strong in the water.”

Fresno City College transfer Alyson Moss (Fresno, Calif.) could factor in immediately this season. Moss earned All-America honors last season and will provide another weapon at Gall's disposal.

“Alyson is a great player with good offense, good defense and quick moves,” Gall said. “She moves extremely well in the water and is going to help us out quite a bit this season.”

Brittany Berry (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan HS), who appeared in all 37 games last season and scored 12 goals, will provide depth at driver for the Roadrunners. Another versatile athlete that will play a big role on this year's squad is C.J. Longeuay (Garden Grove, Calif./Garden Grove HS). Longeuay scored 11 goals last season with 23 assists. She also served as the team's backup goalkeeper, recording 101 saves in 184 minutes between the pipes. This season's added depth should allow Longeuay more opportunities to score goals to help the CSUB offense.

Jessica Manke (Bishop Alemany HS) also put together a strong sophomore campaign in 2008 and will be looking to build upon it as a junior this year. The Northridge, Calif., native had 17 goals and 33 assists, the second highest total on the team. Her 47 steals was the team's fourth highest posting.

The Freshmen

The 10-member freshman class Gall brought in this season exceeds last year's roster total by one. Though it may look like Gall is adding players to help build depth, he insists that the growth in numbers does not reflect a trade-off of quantity over quality. He expects each of his freshmen to come in and compete for playing time immediately. The added depth at each position will hopefully create internal competition for time, which will help make the team better as a whole.

Malia Pahoa (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Temescal Canyon HS) was a second-team All-Southwestern League and a third-team All-CIF Southern Section performer during her time at Temescal Canyon High School.

“Malia is a strong outside shooter with a good head for the game,” said Gall. “She is a versatile player who we can move around. She will add another offensive weapon to the program.”

Another first-year player who Gall believes could have a strong impact is Rancho Cucamonga High School product Shannon McKenzie (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif).

“With Shannon we get a left-handed offensive threat with a good head for the game who will help us balance out the pool,” said Gall. “She will also strengthen our extra-attacker situations with her outside shooting.”

One of Gall's priorities this year will be to develop Megan Wetherbee (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) into the goalie of the future. This season Wetherbee will benefit from playing behind All-America selection Veronica Campbell as she transitions into the collegiate game.

“Megan will get some playing time this season,” said Gall. “Our hope is that she pushes Veronica while learning from her at the same time. She is a strong goalie who is very athletic. It's a great situation for her to come in as a freshman and have a year to adjust before throwing all the weight on her. Shifting from a high school goalie to a college goalie is one of the toughest positions to transition into. In high school you may have one or two good shooters on a team. In college, everyone can shoot so the pace of the game is much faster and shots come much quicker.”

Kellie Goodwin (Exeter, Calif./Exeter Union HS), who was a three-time All-East Yosemite League performer, could also make a big impact for CSUB this season. Driver Kaitlin Torres (Visalia, Calif./El Diamante HS), who spent the first semester of her freshman year at the College of the Sequoias, earned second team All-America honors her senior season.

Diana Sepulveda (Houston, Texas/Clear Brook HS), Lexy Mitchell (Santa Ana, Calif./Villa Park HS) and Maggie Evans (Santa Maria, Calif./Saint Joseph HS) will each see time at the driver positions this year while Sierra Peltcher (Santa Maria, Calif./Saint Joseph HS) and Kerinn Fields (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley HS) will be competing for time at 2-meter.


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Players Mentioned

Brittany Berry

#5 Brittany Berry

Driver
5' 4"
Junior
Veronica Campbell

#1 Veronica Campbell

GK
6' 1"
Senior
Maggie Evans

#16 Maggie Evans

Driver
5' 10"
Freshman
Katherine Gillett

#3 Katherine Gillett

Driver
5' 4"
Senior
Kellie Goodwin

#8 Kellie Goodwin

Utility
5' 5"
Freshman
Petra Koudelkova

#11 Petra Koudelkova

Utility
5' 7"
Senior
C.J. Longeuay

#13 C.J. Longeuay

Utility
5' 6"
Junior
Jessica Manke

#2 Jessica Manke

Driver
5' 8"
Junior
Shannon McKenzie

#10 Shannon McKenzie

Utility
5' 3"
Freshman
Lexy Mitchell

#15 Lexy Mitchell

Driver
5' 2"
Freshman
Alyson Moss

#9 Alyson Moss

2-Meter
5' 8"
Junior
Amanda Ortiz

#4 Amanda Ortiz

2-Meter
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Brittany Berry

#5 Brittany Berry

5' 4"
Junior
Driver
Veronica Campbell

#1 Veronica Campbell

6' 1"
Senior
GK
Maggie Evans

#16 Maggie Evans

5' 10"
Freshman
Driver
Katherine Gillett

#3 Katherine Gillett

5' 4"
Senior
Driver
Kellie Goodwin

#8 Kellie Goodwin

5' 5"
Freshman
Utility
Petra Koudelkova

#11 Petra Koudelkova

5' 7"
Senior
Utility
C.J. Longeuay

#13 C.J. Longeuay

5' 6"
Junior
Utility
Jessica Manke

#2 Jessica Manke

5' 8"
Junior
Driver
Shannon McKenzie

#10 Shannon McKenzie

5' 3"
Freshman
Utility
Lexy Mitchell

#15 Lexy Mitchell

5' 2"
Freshman
Driver
Alyson Moss

#9 Alyson Moss

5' 8"
Junior
2-Meter
Amanda Ortiz

#4 Amanda Ortiz

6' 1"
Senior
2-Meter
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