Scheduling Quirk Sends Water Polo Topsy-Turvy

As the defeats pile up, Katlin Kubas stands tall despite Corona del Mar’s unspectacular 3-5 record in girls’ water polo.

“I know we’re a good team, but other people don’t realize it,” she said. “People ask, ‘What’s wrong? Isn’t Corona del Mar going to be any good in water polo anymore?’ ”

Kubas, a junior two-meter defender, does her best not to make excuses as she tries to explain.

“I don’t want to say it’s been discouraging, but to come out and have this ... it has been hard,” she said. “I’m trying to convince people that no, nothing’s wrong. It’s just the hard games.”

The top teams schedule other powerhouses in nonleague competition and then play again in tournaments as opposed to loading up a schedule with lower-level teams.

The defending Southern Section Division II champion Sea Kings, ranked No. 6 in the Southland by The Times, have lost, 4-2, to Santa Ana Foothill, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division I poll and by The Times.

Corona del Mar also has fallen to reigning Division IV champion Santa Barbara, The Times’ No. 2-ranked team, as well as No. 3 Long Beach Wilson. The Sea Kings have lost twice to No. 4 Newport Harbor.

“We usually end up playing teams over and over again,” said Tracy Kubas, a senior driver for the Sea Kings and Katlin’s older sister.

Corona del Mar, for example, lost to intra-city rival Newport Harbor, 8-7, in a nonleague game Dec. 18. Eight days later, the Sea Kings fell to the Sailors, 8-5, in the third-place game of the Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup. The Sea Kings will play four-time defending Division I champion Foothill again Wednesday in a nonleague game.

The Knights (10-0), for their part, have already played and beaten No. 2-ranked Santa Barbara twice, and the possibility of more meetings in tournaments looms.

Santa Barbara senior utility player Miranda Nichols, however, fancies seeing them again. And again.

“When you challenge yourself, only good can come of it,” she said. “I like playing [Foothill]. They’re a great team. There are a few teams that are really close, but they’re the one that everyone’s trying to beat.”

Last season, Newport Harbor tried four times. Division I runner-up Santa Margarita tried three times.

“It’s all the time,” Corona del Mar goalie junior Brittany Fullen said. “It’s almost like practices.”

The frequent meetings highlight a scheduling quirk that is unique to the sport and the result of a combination of factors, including coaches’ constant quests for top competition among a relatively small pool of elite teams, as well as the strength and depth of water polo in the Orange County area where many of the best teams are based, and a desire to become as familiar as possible with opponents that teams may face in playoffs.

“There’s a lot of familiarity simply because you’re playing teams all the time,” said Foothill Coach Dave Mikesell. “And usually, the games get closer as the season goes along because the other teams get to know you so well.”

The upcoming Santa Barbara tournament, which begins Jan. 16, will include nine of The Times’ top-10 teams. The next get-together for elite teams after that will be in the Southern California Championships in Irvine next month.

“It’s good to challenge yourself,” Tracy Kubas said. “All these teams are really good, and getting to play them over and over kind of raises the bar.”