MONMOUTH, Ill. — Fresh off back-to-back record-setting seasons, the Monmouth College women’s water polo team returns all but one player from last year’s squad, which set the program record for wins and goals.
“We’re excited for the season, but cautiously optimistic,” said Peter Ollis, now in his third season guiding the Fighting Scots. “We return all but two goals from last season and feel the sophomore class gained the experience last season that will help them take a huge step this season. This group of seniors is our first group with four years’ worth of experience. It’s definitely the most experienced team we’ve ever fielded.”
Now in its fourth season as a varsity sport, the program boasts four quality seniors on its 11-player squad. Led by senior goalkeeper Natalie Curtis (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) – a two-time all-conference performer – and senior defender Brenna Bowers (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West), Ollis is counting on the defensive end to again be the team’s bread and butter.
“We’re not built for high-scoring matches,” admitted Ollis. “Natalie is probably the best goalkeeper in the conference and will be regarded as Monmouth’s best keeper for many, many years. She’s doing a great job right now directing the defense. Brenna is a converted goalkeeper and is outstanding on the defensive end. She’s been a big part of our success. Brenna has done a nice job moving to the field after her freshman year and scored 11 goals last season, which is a bonus.”
When it comes to the offense, expect junior Becca Dabrowski (McHenry, Ill./West) to pick up where she left off after scoring a team-high 51 goals last season. Named all-conference in 2017, the 5-foot-11 utility player ranks No. 2 on Monmouth’s all-time scoring list. Senior Rachel Unger (Lockport, Ill./Lockport), ranked third on the career scoring rolls, gives the Scots a solid 1-2 punch. Don’t count out senior utility player Melissa Barrios (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park), who came on strong last season after missing last season’s opening weekend with an injury.
“Becca was a bit of an unknown as a freshman and then gained some notoriety last season,” said Ollis of Dabrowski, who’s also a hitter on the volleyball team. “She’s no longer a secret and will be drawing more defensive attention this season, but I’m confident she’ll rise to the occasion. She’s not the only scoring threat. We’ve got great balance offensively, but need some other women to step up when Becca is being put under duress. Our strategy has never been to get in a shootout. We want to hold the score down, but it is nice to have some legitimate goal scorers. Our seniors have seen it all and our sophomores are a strong, up and coming group.”
Ollis expects the squad’s trio of sophomores – Brittany Lira (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen), Esther Hubbard (Sandy, Ore./Sandy Union) and Emily Mathews (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) – to provide added offensive punch. Led by Mathew’s 16 goals, the threesome scored 28 times in their rookie campaign.
“All three of our sophomores were on the swim team, so they’re coming into the polo season in fantastic shape,” reported Ollis. “We also have (freshman) Miranda Pasky (Paso Robles, Calif./Paso Robles) joining us after she completes her swim season. I expect she’ll work her way into the starting lineup very soon and score some goals for us.”
With a veteran-laden team that has produced back-to-back season scoring records, don’t expect the Scots’ offensive philosophy to change. In fact, Ollis won’t “reinvent the wheel” on either end of the pool.
“We might tweak a few things based on personnel, but the scheme will remain basically unchanged,” said Ollis. “I’m a vocal coach, but with this level of experienced players, I’m letting them run it a little more in the pool. We’ll run an offense that puts our women in the best position. Defensively, we’ll continue to be aggressive.”
Ollis has also gotten aggressive with his scheduling. With a shortened conference schedule (teams no longer play each other twice), Ollis is gearing his team toward the season-ending league tournament by raising the caliber of his non-conference opponents.
“We have a very difficult non-conference schedule,” reported Ollis after the league realigned. “We wanted to prepare for the conference matches with some Division II and other high-caliber teams. We’re not worried about the win-loss record. We’re focusing on setting ourselves up for the conference and finishing higher than we ever have in the conference standings. Our goal is to finish in the top three in the conference. We’re confident in our ability, but we’ve got to go out and produce.”
Release courtesy Monmouth College Athletics Communications
