Girls squad boasts depth and experience as it chases title and
vies for CCS playoffs
Without Live Oak High School around to wreak havoc on the rest
of the league, the San Benito High girls water polo team has just
as good a chance as any other team in the annual sprint to a league
title.
”
Right now, Santa Catalina is probably the top team. We lost to
them earlier in a scrimmage game but the score was about 8-6,
”
said first-year varsity coach Lacey Sutton.
”
I think we should be pretty good though; we have a lot of depth
and experience.
”
Girls squad boasts depth and experience as it chases title and vies for CCS playoffs
Without Live Oak High School around to wreak havoc on the rest of the league, the San Benito High girls water polo team has just as good a chance as any other team in the annual sprint to a league title.
“Right now, Santa Catalina is probably the top team. We lost to them earlier in a scrimmage game but the score was about 8-6,” said first-year varsity coach Lacey Sutton. “I think we should be pretty good though; we have a lot of depth and experience.”
This year Sutton says the goal for her squad is to go to the Central Coast Section playoffs. Based on the current playoff point system, that would mean that the Balers would either have to win the league championship outright and get the automatic berth into the tournament or have enough success in both non-league and tournament games to earn enough points to make the section event.
Last year, the Balers finished in third place in league under former head coach Derek Kisling and missed the playoffs. But this year, Sutton, who swam and played water polo in her four years at San Benito High before graduating in 2002, has high expectations for her squad.
“We have a lot of seniors and lost only three players to graduation,” she said. “We should do well.”
So far, Sutton is right.
Last Tuesday, the Balers travel to Salinas High where they beat the Cowboys 9-3 in the league opener and then went 3-2 at a tournament in Clovis last Friday. San Benito’s next game is on Wednesday when they will travel to Monterey High to face the Toreadors in a 4 p.m. league showdown.
At that game all eyes will be on Baler standouts Katie Buzzetta and Jayme Telles, the two Baler players with the most experience and a prowess for putting the ball into the net.
Buzzetta, a junior, plays both the offensive hole set position and two-meter defense.
“She has more experience than anyone out there,” Sutton said. “I’ll play her in both positions; it just depends on the game.”
Telles, who is also a junior, is expected to play in the field.
“She has a good shot and she anticipates the center attack well,” Sutton said.
Both players are the top two scorers this season.
About the only spot that the Balers don’t have a lot of experience this season is at goalie. This year, junior Sarah Yoldi will play the high-profile position in just her second season playing the sport.
Despite her lack of experience, Sutton is impressed by Yoldi’s skills.
“She hasn’t played a lot but she has really stepped it up and is doing a remarkable job for us so far,” she said.
And Sutton should know. Although she’s just 21, Sutton knows what to look for in the pool. In addition to playing four years at the high school level, she also made the U.S. Nationals as a swimmer at Hayward State in the backstroke before transferring to Cal State Monterey Bay her junior year.
At CSUMB Sutton played water polo before opting to quit this year in order to coach and finish up her degree in liberal arts, which she hopes to parlay into a teaching career.
“I think we’re going to have a really good season,” she said. “The goal is to make CCS. We should be able to do it.”
