Fresno City College women’s water polo team is on the rise after a season that saw the team finish third in the Big 8 conference and a late rally to make an appearance in the Northern California Championships.

“Making it to NorCal last season set the bar high for this year,” said Kaylin Drum, sophomore goalkeeper.  “I think it pushes us to go further and make a run at state.“

Drum anchored the team’s defense with 162 saves. “She is one of the best players in the conference, maybe the state,” said head coach Gianna Rossi

This year the team will return five sophomores and three players who redshirted last season.

“We have been training hard and the team is gearing up for this upcoming season,” said  Rossi. “With the experience these girls carry — hard work ethic, focus and determination — our freshman have been able to quickly adapt to our team dynamic.”

This year the team will count on a group of players who contributed immensely last year, including  sophomore Sydney Luna, an attacker. Luna was a key player on offense and defense last year earning ejections, scoring 25 goals and leading the team with 23 steals.

Sophomore Emily Hinson was fourth last year with 27 goals.

Sophomore Marissa Vargas who was a standout player her freshman year in 2012, scored 38 goals  and led the team in earning ejections. She will be called upon to lead the team again on offense.

“This year we have a lot of speed; we’re really fast,” Vargas said. “Being bigger and tougher, we should go farther than we did last year.”

In past seasons, the water polo team had one or two 2 meter players on the team. This season, they have

five 2 meter players on the team “who are all well experienced,” Rossi said.

“With both our experience level and two meter advantage, I believe we have an edge over most teams in our conference,” Rossi said. “Our goal this year is to continue on to state championships.”