DVC 2015 Women's Water Polo Preview

DVC women's water polo preview

When you have six of seven starters back from the best team in program history, life is good.
Such is the case for Vikings coach Rick Millington, in his 20th season, whose squad finished third in the state in 2014 and was the unbeaten Big 8 champion.
"The women look very good," Millington said. "They won NorCals and they won conference, and we're hoping certainly to repeat that, and they were third at the state level, and we're hoping to improve on that."
The Vikings' Super Six returning starters were all All-Americans: Coco Demoulin, of Paris, France; Megan Dietrich, Acalanes High; Hannah Dillon, Northgate; Alyssa Jenkins, Deer Valley; Sarah Ward, Las Lomas; and Ruby Personius, Sonora.
The two returning backups are also solid.
Dietrich, an 2014 All-State selection and the Northern California MVP, and Ward are the team captains.
"They morphed into the job," Millington said of his captains. "We saw their leadership skills. They both have a lot of experience. They have a lot of enthusiasm for the game. The girls look up to them, based on their work ethic. They lead by example, so they're very good role models."
The Vikings can turn the tables quickly on opponents after a change of possession, and the scoring is done by committee.
"Last year we had a very balanced scoring attack," Millington said. "We rarely ran a 2-meter offense where you set somebody 2-meters. They pretty much do a counter-attack offense. Some games we have players scoring more goals than others, but it was pretty balanced last year."
Last year's goalie, Shelby Salling, a first-team all-NorCal selection, was recruited by U.C. Santa Barbara and is vying for a starting spot with the Gauchos. But DVC's three goalie newcomers are looking good, so the team doesn't have a discernible weakness.
In the 2014 state playoffs, the Vikings fell to Riverside City 12-8 in the semifinals, before beating Foothill-Los Altos 11-6 in the third-place game to finish the season 26-1.
The Vikings will have a better handle on what to expect this season when they compete at the power-packed Cuesta Tournament, beginning Sept. 11.
-- Matt Schwab