The Hill Girls Water Polo team competed in the Beast of the East tournament on September 27 and 28 at Central York High School. The girls played in four games, with the team winning two and losing two, growing stronger as a team throughout the weekend.

The girls had played a few games before this tournament.

“We were nervous going into the weekend with a few of us out due to injuries and college visits,”  Tess Gray ’21said. “We are always hopeful to play our best and win, but you never know how the game will go and how each player will perform. The team has trained hard all season with new drills and practices that have allowed them to get stronger as individuals, which makes them grow so much as a team.”

One unique aspect of water polo is seeing how the players can adjust to any position they are asked to play. The players adjust during every play based on how their opponent runs the offense and defense; they’re constantly doing something new. 

“One part of this weekend that is always so incredible to see is how our new and younger players fit in,” Maddy Lewis ’20 said. “Most of them have been playing together for at least a year, so coming in and creating a new team is always so special and great.”

Following their loss 7-20 against North Allegheny High School, the Hill girls played against Hazleton Area High School and won 10-7. This was the first game of the day on Saturday and “the team was the strongest we could have been,” Gray ’21 said. During this game, the team subbed a lot of their younger players into the water and tried new plays and strategies. 

Harliv Singh ’23 was one of our essential players during this tournament. 

“I feel like the team dynamic has gotten much better, especially since we have gotten close to each other which is such a great thing,” Singh said. “I think one of the things that stuck out to me is the fast pace of a varsity game compared to a JV game. Feeling nervous and anxious about playing in the game is normal, but knowing that the older players understand what you’re going through because they’ve been through it before is super supportive.”

The Hill girls then played against Thomas Worthington High School, a team that traveled from Ohio. Hill won that game 9-6. It was an opportunity for our girls  to see how squads from different parts of the country play the sport and to learn how to adjust to the style, Gray noted. This game determined whether or not the team would make it to the championship game.

Hill girls played against Pennridge High School last and lost 6-10. Anna Schlegel ’22 was a key player in the water and stepped up as a leader of the team. 

“We went into the tournament with a positive mindset, knowing that we had some tough games ahead,” Schlegel said. “We improved not only in communication and teamwork, but on an individual basis as well. I was shocked at how well some of our girls played, considering that we almost completely shifted our lineup and positioning in the pool.”