Thousand Oaks girls’ water polo squad relying on senior leadership

BILL SPARKES/Acorn NewspaperLANCERS DOMINATE WESTLAKE—Thousand Oaks senioJenna Conway looks for a passing lane over Westlake’s Emily Oethenger during the Lancers’ 15-6 victory over the Warriors at home Tuesday afternoon. TOHS has 10 seniors on its 11person roster. The Lancers are currently ranked No. 6 in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV girls’ water polo poll. Experience has equaled success thus far for the Thousand Oaks girls’ water polo team.

Armed with a roster of only 11 players, 10 of whom are seniors, the Lancers (8-4, 1-0) won the Newbury Park Mistletoe Classic for the third-straight season in early December.

This past weekend T.O. finished with two wins and three losses and in 12th place at the Villa Park Tournament in Orange County.

According to head coach Mike Giles, more than half of the 32 teams that participated in the Villa Park Tournament are currently ranked in their divisions by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

“We went to Orange County,” Giles said, “to go play out of the area, to get good, tough competition without being penalized for losing a game within our division. We played all teams that were outside of our division, so it didn’t matter if we won or lost.

“And we had some great, great wins,” Giles said. “But the losses might teach us more about our team and the things we need to work on.”

Thousand Oaks, along with the rest of the Marmonte League schools, participates in Division IV girls’ water polo.

Last season’s Lancer squad finished in third place in the Marmonte and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Those results, coupled with the fact that the majority of the key players from last year’s squad are back for their senior campaigns, have raised expectations at TOHS.

“I think there is (pressure) because we’re all here again and we did well last year, too,” said goalie Chelsea Rohrbach, who has played in all 49 of the team’s quarters this season and is allowing a shade over five goals per game. “But I don’t think we feel as much pressure as, like, Agoura.”

In the 2006 CIF-Southern Section Division IV preseason poll, Agoura was ranked No. 1 overall. Royal was No. 5 in the poll, followed by T.O. at No. 6.

With three teams in their league ranked in the top six spots, and with programs like Westlake and Moorpark on the rise, the Lancer players said they’re gearing up for a highly competitive race for the Marmonte championship.

“If we can beat Agoura and Royal, that would be a huge accomplishment for our team,” senior Erica Bailey said. “It’s something we have our eyes on.”

Thousand Oaks kicked off its league schedule with a 15-6 win Tuesday afternoon at home over rival Westlake.

Kat Plummer scored five goals for the Lancers. Her teammate, Jenna Conway, added four scores.

Plummer and Conway are the Lancer co-captains, Giles said, a right the players earned because of their hard work and dedication to the team.

“They are the most committed and willing to do everything and anything, over and beyond what we ask them to do,” Giles said.

“They lead by example, clearly,” the third-year coach said. “They helped raise the bar. All the girls are wonderful, but as far as putting in the commitment during the offseason, or commitment during the downtime, they’re always doing it.”

Through the team’s first 12 games, Plummer leads the Lancers with 35 goals. Conway, meanwhile, had a team-high 12 assists and ranked third with 24 steals prior to the matchup vs. Westlake.

The only Lancer who will be returning next season is sophomore Whitney Delgado.

Despite being the youngest player on the squad, Delgado has been playing like a savvy veteran since the season started. She’s currently second on the team with 20 goals and led the Lancers with 32 steals before Tuesday’s contest.

“It’s not that different, I don’t think,” Delgado said of being the lone non-senior. “It’ll definitely help me lead the team next year and I’ll learn those leadership skills from these girls here.”

Giles said the Lancers’ success throughout the remainder of the season will be predicated on their ability to play good, team defense, and the continued development of the Lancer offense.

More than just a winning attitude in the pool, however, Giles said he wants to continue to develop players with good character who are prepared for careers and/or college when they leave the school.

“Thousand Oaks is a community of high expectations, and I agree 100 percent,” Giles said. “We’ll give them the highest expectations possible and teach the players how to get to the next level.”