Girls water polo: Marin Academy embraces NCS challenge

After hanging a North Coast Section water polo championship banner in the rafters last season, the Marin Academy girls are stepping up the competition.

“My dad says diamonds are made from pressure. I use that as motivation,” said Wildcats junior goalkeeper Caroline Starrett after Thursday’s 18-7 victory over No. 11 California High in the first round of the NCS Division I tournament.

Starrett helped Marin Academy girls to their first NCS title in 2023 with wins over MCAL foes Terra Linda, Marin Catholic and Tam in the Division II field.

“This is an entirely new season,” Starrett said. “After losing last year’s seniors, it’s tough, but it’s a chance for us to adapt. If you stay stagnant, then you don’t go anywhere. So I think it forced us to move on.”

The No. 6 Wildcats are moving on to Saturday’s quarterfinals against No. 3 Las Lomas, runner up to champion Archie Williams in last year’s D-I tournament.

The Wildcats sprinted to a commanding first-half lead Thursday as Gabby Reichley lit up the scoreboard with six of her game-high seven goals.

“Gabby’s not our only option, but when she gets up and scores a couple of quick goals like she did, that lifts the team,” Marin Academy coach Jamie Collie said. “We definitely felt that energy early on. It was fun to see, but also because so many teams will target her, but she contributes in so many ways, not necessarily on the scoreboard.”

The Wildcats’ Kelly Kurtzig came up big with four goals Thursday, while Hannah Reichley, Cece Dickinson and Reina Buchanan each found the back of the net twice, and also controlled the middle of the pool on defense.

“I was fired up for how we came out,” Collie said. “We had five goals in the first period and Cece had assists on four of them. She was really exciting with the way she played. I felt like we were pushing the tempo to play the way we want to play.”

The Wildcats defense defused the Grizzlies’ assault, refusing to give California a clear shooting lane. Starrett stepped up with six saves against 20 shots, and shut out the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter. She also had a couple of assists to start the Wildcats’ fast break.

“Caroline, her passing is such a big part of what we do on offense,” Collie said. “And obviously, her defense, she’s been working a ton this season on defending against the lob shots. (California) tonight, I don’t know if that’s just what they do, but it was cool to see Caroline defend that. … She’s so quick, and she’s worked so hard the past couple of years on coming out and attacking the ball, but also getting back to cover that weak side post. That’s not easy to do, and that’s just another piece to her game. To see her step up in a big game and make a bunch of important blocks, it changes the game.”

As the NCS advances to the quarterfinals, the MCAL will have four girls teams in D-I action Saturday, as well as three teams in the D-II bracket.

• In first-round D-I competition Thursday, Sophia Uhlhorn-Thornton scored five goals to lead No. 2 Tam past No. 15 Bishop O’Dowd, 18-7. Julia Ulvestad and Cat Philp each scored three goals for the Red-tailed Hawks, who also got scoring from Sabine Barringer and Reese Arwin. Tam is scheduled to play No. 10 Northgate in Saturday’s quarterfinals at host Redwood High.

• No. 4 Archie Williams cruised past No. 13 Amador Valley, 17-9, at host Marin Academy. Taylor Fahy scored three times in the third period to finish with four goals, and Holly Hovey and Mila Rendic also scored four goals each for the Peregrine Falcons. Nadya Wachelka scored twice, and Elsa Kastner and Sylvia Fine both scored in the second period. Falcons goalkeeper Kaeley Sullivan had a solid night as she limited the Dons to just four goals through the first three periods. Archie Williams is scheduled to face No. 5 Monte Vista on Saturday at Marin Academy.

• No. 9 Redwood will play on the road Saturday against top-seeded San Ramon Valley. The Giants advanced past No. 8 Castro Valley, 9-3, on Thursday. The Giants lost to San Ramon Valley, 13-2, in a regular-season contest in September.