This season, the Jones girls water polo team has been crushing it and is closer than ever to making the City Championships for their second consecutive year..

With a successful season so far with multiple wins against high-ranking suburban high schools, the girls water polo team currently stands at twenty to two and is hopeful for the future.

“The season has been great. We have had a really good season, with only a couple of losses against state-winning suburban teams,” said player Anastacia Torres ‘26.

The team anticipates being a part of the City Championship this season for the second year in a row. In the previous season, they had won the City Championship but fell short in sectionals by one point against Lane Tech.

“I truly believe that we can win city championships again, fingers crossed,” said Torres.

This year, the team is seeded first for City Championships– one of the team’s major accomplishments this year. A high seeding is important to the team as it establishes who they are competing against and what strategies they will use in the pool.

“We’re in the top six or seven in the state and we’re number one seed going into CPL playoffs and we’re number one seed going into sectionals,” said Head Coach Mac Varilla.

The team’s main motivation is to build from last season and have fun competing together. 

“We’re a pretty tight-knit team and everyone is a hard worker and strives for success,” said Varilla.

The team, other than being close, is welcoming and accepting of any new player who decides to take a leap into the world of water polo.

“That was the very first thing I noticed in joining the team last year as a freshman,” said Torres. “All the upperclassmen seemed to make a genuine effort to get to know me and become friends with me.” 

The team’s driving motivation is not winning, but their passion for water polo.

“For games, I just like the adrenaline that it brings and the excitement of how the team comes together to play. That rush comes whether we win or lose,” said Torres.

The team’s next game at UIC will be a deciding factor for whether or not they move on to the semi-finals.

“Our next game is next Thursday [4/25] at UIC for either quarterfinals or semifinals since we are seeded first,” said Torres.

The team has many competitions ahead of them, but through every win and loss the team stands together.

“We acknowledge our victories, and we’re humble in defeat,” said Varilla.