Photo: Steve Galluzzo
There is one expectation for the Palisades High girls water polo team this season: win the City title. The Dolphins came out on the losing end in last year’s final against Birmingham and want nothing more than to regain the championship come February.
Guiding them toward that goal will be new head coach Joe Vernaza, director of Westside Aquatics, who will handle the varsity while Kevin Basurto will pilot the JV.
In the pool, the leaders will be UC Davis commit Taylor Gair and fellow senior captain Genesis Zuniga. Junior goalkeeper Triana Paris will be tasked with holding opponents’ goal totals down while junior Kylie Lupescu and Gair’s freshman sister Bailey will be key.
“I’m a little hard on her,” Taylor said of Bailey after Palisades’ 19-8 victory over Marymount in its season opener at last week’s Coyote Classic in Calabasas. “The leadership thing is a new experience. Joe keeps us on top of things. I’m ready to be told what to do.”
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