Despite the recent onset of cold, the Case Western Reserve University Club water polo team is just getting their 2019 competition season started. The members of the team are ready to take on frozen hair and dry skin after they leave the pool three times a week.

The CWRU Club Water Polo team had their season openers this weekend in an away tournament at a high school in Indiana. Posting a final record of 2-1, the team had a successful weekend. After losing the first game versus Oakland University, the team came back in their next match to beat Ball State University with a final score of 14-1. Finally, the team finished off the day strong in a third game against the University of Indianapolis. The final score of game three was an overwhelming 18-1, a victory that makes the team feel strong coming into their next tournament this coming weekend. For CWRU, the leading scorer was first-year Grant Holmes.

First-year Kalista Tapas, an experienced high school water polo and former Illinois High School water polo state champion, commented on the team’s performance this past weekend, “As a team I think we played well. Once we got used to playing and all warmed up after the long car ride, we really did well.” Tapas also noted that CWRU had a lot of new players who played in their first games at the tournament and did “phenomenally.”

Henyah Dardir, a first-year student at CWRU and one of the newer players, says that her favorite part of joining the team is “being in the water and knowing she’ll have fun because of how awesome everyone on the team is.” Enjoyment is paramount for CWRU water polo. The team aims to foster an environment that is fun, educational, challenging and filled with high quality water polo. And the success in doing so is clearly reflected in their top-notch performance.

CWRU’s Club Water Polo team will host their annual home tournament this coming Saturday, Nov. 16. Games will take place in the Veale Natatorium at 11:30 a.m. versus Oakland University, 12:20 p.m. against Ball State University, 4:10 p.m. versus UAA-rival University of Chicago and 6:40 p.m. against the University of Akron. It’s your only chance to see the team play at home this semester, so don’t miss it!

If you are interested in joining the team, visit the CWRU Club Water Polo Facebook page for more information.