The Fresno State women’s water polo team begins its quest for a fifth straight Golden Coast Conference (GCC) title later this month. With the majority of their non-conference games already final, the Bulldogs turn their attention to their GCC foes.
“We have a good understanding of what our group looks like and I think we’re in a good position to attack the next few weeks before we start conference play,” said Head Coach Natalie Benson. She is confident in her girls’ ability to play to their strengths this season.
The Bulldogs are predicted to win the GCC regular season title for the fourth time in five years. With success comes expectations from the outside, but that outside perspective of the program does not faze the Bulldogs. Senior utility Brooke Ochoa and sophomore defender Sidney Strickland said that polls and national rankings give them a reason to stay focused during the season. They understand that they will get each team’s best performance because of their standing as a program.
“It’s opinion based off the coaches,” said Strickland. “Every year is a new year and those goals are based off of last year. Every season is just a matter of, what can you do this year. The other aspect of the polls is knowing that the other teams do respect us, so we have to go into every game with some fight.”
The Bulldogs retained many players from last season. Benson highlighted two other returning Bulldogs, junior attacker Hailey Andress and senior attacker Abbey Simshauser, as key players that give opponents headaches to game plan for. With many returning starters, it adds to the maturity of the program and the poise needed for the Bulldogs to maintain their success.
“[Ochoa] is an energizer bunny, [Andress] is a magician when she’s shooting, and [Simshauser] is one of the most fierce people I have ever met,” Benson said. “It’s neat to have the three of them working together. When you think about game plans and scouting, that is tough to figure out who you want to knock down.” Ochoa and Strickland added that the chemistry of the team fosters a foundation for communication.
Freshmen Marit van der Kolk and Alexandra Schow are newcomers to the program that Benson believes can give the Bulldogs an edge. Benson likes their progress through the preseason and figures they will be key depth for the program this year. Strickland spoke highly of van der Kolk’s ability to absorb a lot during her first campaign. Her initiative is something that Ochoa also said reminds her of herself as a young freshman in the program.
“I think she does a really good job of balancing school and water [polo] and trying to learn as much as you can be able to splash, especially since she [is] coming from the Netherlands, it’s a different language, even though it’s the same fundamentals,” Strickland said.
Even though the Bulldogs were able to retain many players from 2024, a big question this preseason was the goalkeeper position. Benson has two new goalkeepers and noted that getting them engaged was a challenge, but just giving them minutes and watching their progress has given her and her staff confidence moving forward. Players have also seen their improvement during practice and in-game.
“Our goalies have stepped up a lot these past couple [of] weekends, which is nice,” Ochoa said. “It’s good to see them really pushing and crying in the cage.”
The Bulldogs have won just five of their 10 non-conference games thus far, losing to No. 4 University of California, Berkeley, No. 3 University of California, Los Angeles, No. 5 University of Hawaii, and No. 9 University of California, Davis. However, these losses to tough teams do not deter Benson. Her confidence has never been higher in her team this season.
Benson expects her team to be competitive with these top teams in the playoffs.
“[Our team] legitimately believes that we are just as good and can compete with [any team] on any day,” Benson said.
Looking at their GCC schedule, Benson stated that she is excited to host Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, March 22, after their 13-12 overtime victory in the GCC championship game. The Bulldogs also host Concordia University on Feb. 22 and Azusa Pacific University on April 12.
With free admission, Benson emphasizes the importance of student support at their games. The players feed off of the crowd’s energy and play with some extra juice. For a program with abundant success, players are eager to share their success this season with students.
“It’s fun to cheer for somebody in your chemistry class or somebody in your history class,” Benson said. “Being a part of something that’s exciting, tying your wagon to that team or to that individual, and getting excited about watching those people compete. Put the t-shirt on, paint the face, hold up a sign, whatever it is people want to do to be excited about something that they’re a part of.”
The energy that is channeled through the crowd bleeds through every player. Strickland said it gives them something extra to play for, besides their teammates and coaches.
The Bulldogs’ next home game will be on Saturday, Feb. 15 when the Bulldogs host Fresno Pacific University at 11:30 a.m., followed by an exhibition match against the University of Redlands at 2:30 p.m.