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28 | January 24, 2019 | Malibu surfside news sports<br />
malibusurfsidenews.com<br />
Athlete of the Week<br />
Girls Water Polo<br />
Team conjures inner strength<br />
22nd Century Media File Photo<br />
10 Questions<br />
with Jenny Alvarez<br />
Jenny Alvarez, 18, is a senior<br />
who plays water polo.<br />
What first got you<br />
interested in water<br />
polo?<br />
My friend Carina and her<br />
mom Nancy were like, “Hey,<br />
Jenny, you should try this<br />
out.” I did and I fell in love<br />
with the sport immediately.<br />
In what area would<br />
you say you’ve most<br />
improved from freshman<br />
year until now?<br />
My swimming. I’ve definitely<br />
gotten faster since<br />
freshman year.<br />
Have you tried to<br />
become more of a<br />
leader this year?<br />
Not really. I feel like<br />
everyone on the team is a<br />
leader in different ways.<br />
We’ve become cheerleaders<br />
this season. It’s great.<br />
What do you like<br />
about playing for coach<br />
Hayden Goldberg?<br />
I feel like he truly cares<br />
about the success of each<br />
and every player. He’s a<br />
very genuine coach.<br />
What are your hobbies<br />
outside of polo?<br />
Outside of polo I am a<br />
peer leader at Our Lady of<br />
Assumption in Ventura. I<br />
also work at Drill Surf &<br />
Skate. My boss is the coolest<br />
Kiwi in town. Also, I<br />
like watching “Chef’s Table”<br />
with my dog Buster.<br />
What is your favorite<br />
place to eat in Malibu?<br />
Malibu Farm Cafe.<br />
What is your favorite<br />
TV show?<br />
“Parks and Recreation.”<br />
Ron [Swanson] is my favorite.<br />
What are your goals<br />
for this season?<br />
My goals for this season<br />
are to just be able to make it<br />
to CIF, but also to beat Villanova<br />
and Foothill Tech.<br />
What are your plans<br />
for after graduation?<br />
After high school I<br />
would like to go to SMC<br />
and transfer to either USC<br />
or Loyola Marymount.<br />
If you could have one<br />
superpower what<br />
would it be?<br />
It would be the ability to<br />
fly so I wouldn’t have to sit<br />
in traffic.<br />
Interview conducted by Freelance<br />
Reporter Ryan Flynn.<br />
Leib shines in<br />
Oxnard Tournament<br />
Ryan Flynn<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
This Week In...<br />
SHARKS ATHLETICS<br />
Girls Water Polo<br />
■Jan. ■ 24 - host Moorpark,<br />
3:15 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 25 - at Villanova,<br />
3:15 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 29 - host Cate,<br />
3:15 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 31 - host Santa Paula,<br />
3:15 p.m.<br />
Girls Basketball<br />
■Jan. ■ 24 - at Hueneme,<br />
6 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - at Nordhoff,<br />
4:30 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 28 - host Nordhoff,<br />
4:30 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 29 - host Fillmore,<br />
6 p.m.<br />
Despite a trying season,<br />
the girls water polo team<br />
remains Malibu Strong.<br />
It is a phrase that coach<br />
Hayden Goldberg invokes<br />
often. This past weekend,<br />
in the Oxnard Girls’<br />
Varsity Tournament, the<br />
team lost all four games<br />
they competed in, three by<br />
scores of nine-plus goals.<br />
Goldberg said that he’s<br />
trying not to harp on the<br />
negatives with his squad.<br />
“[We are] just making<br />
sure we’re having fun,<br />
we’re smiling,” he said.<br />
“We were really affected<br />
by Mother Nature this season<br />
so [we’re] just staying<br />
positive.”<br />
Malibu’s closest game<br />
of the tournament was a<br />
1-0 nail-biter against Villanova<br />
Prep. Goalie Rachel<br />
Leib stood out in the<br />
contest, as she did all tournament<br />
long. The senior<br />
has been a bright spot this<br />
year. Her passing, talking<br />
on defense and leadership<br />
have all shone through,<br />
Goldberg said.<br />
“Overall, she really<br />
shined to me,” Goldberg<br />
said. “It looked like she<br />
was on every game. She<br />
was averaging anywhere<br />
from seven to 11 blocks a<br />
game. In the [Villanova]<br />
game I thought she was<br />
definitely an MVP candidate<br />
for the game, for<br />
sure.”<br />
Villanova Prep is a<br />
league opponent, so Malibu<br />
will get one more crack<br />
at them before season’s<br />
end, on Jan. 25, in a road<br />
contest.<br />
Several players were<br />
sick or injured this past<br />
weekend, which allowed<br />
Goldberg to call up some<br />
junior varsity players to<br />
see action at a higher level.<br />
“It’s a little confidence<br />
Girls Soccer<br />
■Jan. ■ 25 - at Fillmore,<br />
6 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 28 - host Hueneme,<br />
6:30 p.m.<br />
Boys Soccer<br />
■Jan. ■ 25 - host Filmmore,<br />
6:30 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - at Nordhoff,<br />
2:30 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 28 - at Hueneme,<br />
5:30 p.m.<br />
Boys Basketball<br />
■Jan. ■ 25 - at Carpinteria,<br />
7 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 28 - host Nordhoff,<br />
7:30 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 30 - at Fillmore,<br />
7 p.m.<br />
boost for them, which will<br />
help them get ready for<br />
next year when they’ll be<br />
varsity players,” Goldberg<br />
said.<br />
Despite having a losing<br />
record for the first time<br />
since 2014, the Sharks are<br />
still alive for both a CIF<br />
berth and a Top 3 finish<br />
in league. They are 1-2<br />
in league play at the moment<br />
but have three league<br />
games remaining, one of<br />
which is a game slated for<br />
earlier this year that had<br />
to be rescheduled. The<br />
hardships haven’t kept<br />
this team down, Goldberg<br />
said, and they’re putting<br />
in 100 percent effort in<br />
practice and on game day.<br />
They’ve remained Malibu<br />
Strong.<br />
“I tell these girls, you’re<br />
going to remember this.<br />
Something is going to be<br />
in your way down the line<br />
and it’s going to be nothing<br />
to you because of what you<br />
went through this year,”<br />
Goldberg said.<br />
PEPPERDINE ATHLETICS<br />
Women’s Basketball<br />
■Jan. ■ 24 - at Saint Mary’s,<br />
7 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - at Pacific, 2 p.m.<br />
Women’s Tennis<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - host ITA kick-off<br />
weekend, 10 a.m.<br />
Men’s Basketball<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - host Saint<br />
Mary’s, 5 p.m.<br />
Women’s Swimming and<br />
Diving<br />
■Jan. ■ 26 - host Air Force<br />
and Cal Baptist, 11 a.m.<br />
Men’s Volleyball<br />
■Jan. ■ 27 - at UC Irvine, 5 p.m.<br />
■Jan. ■ 30 - host CSUN, 7 p.m.