By Jessica Jimenez — Staff Writer
After arriving only a month ago, Olga Descalzi Portell is tackling a tough sport that she also loves — water polo.
The freshman engineering major learned the sport in her hometown Terrassa, Spain.
Descalzi Portell contacted head coach Gabor Sarusi in order to make her dreams a reality.
“I got a chance to watch all of her videos playing for her youth and junior teams back in Spain and we went from there,” Sarusi said. “I made the final decision to bring her to the team in November of 2017.”
Drawn to the water, Descalzi Portell began playing the high intensity sport at the age of 8.
With limited playing options, she decided to join Club Natació Terrassa to further learn the fundamentals of the game.
“In Spain, there are no university teams so I played for the only club in my city” Descalzi Portell said. “There are no high school teams, you only go there to study. If you want to learn a sport, you have to join a club.”
At the start of her career, Descalzi Portell’s position in the water was a 2-meter defender — however, that quickly changed. After improving her shooting, the Spain native became a utility player.
When she 12, the utility player dedicated countless hours of practice every week to become highly skilled.
“When I was 16, I started playing in three categories: youth, junior and senior— I played three games a weekend,” Descalzi Portell said. “I also had to study in between to make it over here to play.”
Her commitment to the game led Descalzi Portell to compete in the 2017 and ‘18 Women’s Youth World Championships and last year’s European Junior Championships.
She represented the Spain National Team and won a gold medal for each championship in her age group.
The discipline paid off — but at a price.
“It was very cool, but a lot of hard work. We trained eight hours a day for one month before the championships,” Descalzi Portell said. “It was two hours of weights, two hours of swimming, two hours of weights, then two hours of scrimmaging.”
Sarusi has already discovered that Descalzi Portell is making a difference in the pool, despite minimal minutes.
“She’s being a good teammate and a hard worker. She’s somebody who not only creates opportunities for herself but for her teammates,” Sarusi said. “She’s a really good player.”
As a new player for the Spartans, the freshman has clicked right away with her teammates, especially with junior driver Sierra Painter, the team captain.
Painter appreciates the new addition to the team and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“I think we all have things to learn from her and I think she has things to learn from us as well,” Painter said. “Having her come in with her accomplishments and skill level is that much more for all of us to learn from.”
Sarusi has noticed that Descalzi Portell has adapted and gotten along well with her fellow Spartans.
“She has a really high water polo IQ and she’s able to adjust to our system,” he said.
The American style of playing is another thing Descalzi Portell had to get used to quickly.
The European technique is more abrasive with the referees allowing players to grab and take jabs at one another. That is not allowed in the States, which she learned the hard way.
“In my first game here, I got exclusions and offensive fouls super easy without me doing anything different than what I’m used to,” Descalzi Portell said. “Now I need to have more space and not be so aggressive, which is good.”
Back home, Descalzi Portell’s teammates were at different schools so at SJSU, she enjoys interacting with everyone.
“I can work with teammates in class and also in practice,” she said. “It’s beneficial because teammates here have similar schedules.”
Keeping up with relationships and friendships in and outside the water is one of the freshman’s favorite things from water polo.
Descalzi Portell has a long collegiate career ahead of her — and there is no ceiling on her potential.
Follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicajim06