By Jessica Jimenez — Reporter
The San Jose State women’s water polo team has had a change of heart in and out of the pool.
17 games into the season, they’re 5-12 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference.
The scheduling of games is different this year compared to last year around this time. 17 games into last season, the team’s record was 7-10, 0-1 in the conference.
Sure this looks better because of less losses, but the goal differential was much worse.
Now, the Spartans have improved that number and the team still has many more games to play in just under two months.
A reason for the women closing in on the scoring gap is due to the total revamping of the team. The athletes have improved on soft skills, technique and endurance.
Junior driver Lili Urvari is an example of this. She has been improving on her sprints for the start of each quarter.
Her current wins in sprinting to obtain possession of the ball is nine, surpassing the amount she had for all of last season.
This season is still not over and Urvari has shown that there still is time to refine her skills further.
Not only has she improved in sprinting, she has taken more shots on goal this season, with 83 so far versus 86 shots for the entirety of the 2019 season.
Urvari had 32 goals last season. With 33 goals in 2020 so far, she should easily surpass that amount before the end of season.
She has increased her 2019 shooting percentage of .372 to .398 this season.
Urvari’s success has all to do with herself and also with special help from the all-female coaching staff, the first in the program’s history.
From watching and listening to head coach Beth Harberts and assistant coach Taylor Adair, I can see that there is now more of a sense of closeness, respect and eagerness to learn.
The team lost over 15 games every season from 2016 to 2019, all under male coaches. This could have been due to numerous factors.
First off, the team had to play off campus for three seasons.
They lost a sense of identity as a Spartan, and there was a lack of motivation, lack of communication and difference of opinion with their previous male coach.
It’s the team’s first season back on campus, and now they are more ready than ever to play hard.
Communication in the water has improved since I watched the team play last season. They are now more cohesive as a team, they show preparation in the water with help from a new female perspective of the game because of their coaches.
The athletes are trying harder than ever to sprint, shoot, create plays, steal the ball and defend the cage.
Junior utility player Riley Agerbeek is also a prime example of an improved player. She currently has 18 goals under her belt, 54 shots on goal and seven assists so far for the 2020 season.
Agerbeek’s 2019 season consisted of 11 goals, 49 shots and five assists.
She has been given the opportunity to flourish, and sets herself up and her team for plays, and has the right communication in the water.
Despite the team being in last place in the MPSF conference, the team is looking better for the 2020 season.
If the Spartans maintain their momentum, re-practice key plays, work on offense and defense then they can ultimately go further than last year by the end of the season.
Depending on how the team plays, these next seven games will determine how far they’ll go in the MPSF Championships.
They can possibly go the furthest they’ve been in years.
Follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicajim06