Knights girls water polo: A precision machine with finely-tuned parts

To break into the “inner sanctum” of the Bishop’s girls water polo team is a feat in itself. But once you’re in, people are real, and you begin to appreciate the magnitude of a 13-year run with 12 CIF titles.

Listen to senior Chiara Marmanillo, the Bishop’s top-flight goalkeeper: “I learned from the best goalies before me. I’m focused on one play at a time, and trying to bring energy for everyone.” Marmanillo, in the Knights’ first-round SoCal Regional 10-9 overtime win on Feb. 21, was magnificent, deftly blocking skip shots as well as attempts up in the zone.

So crucial on defense, fellow senior Lisbon Zeigler helps Marmanillo with near-net protection. “Making plays on defense is based on instinct and how much you want it,” Lisbon says. “Playing for my teammates, combined with the countless hours looking at small details on film, allows our team to be successful.”

Whatever “it” is, it is being passed down, among select athletes, who are willing to submit their wills to the greater good — a winning program. Coach Doug Peabody, the architect of the program, with his close ally and assistant coach, Ian Davidson, a 2005 graduate, says, “This year we basically have eight field players (in the rotation), and they play like starters, not just role players.”

Peabody attests, Aileen Shin and Lucille Proul have had multiple-goal games as Bishop’s has gone 21-9 against Southern California’s elite. “Lucille (a senior) is a pass-first player who is a great on-ball defender.

“Aileen (a freshman) came in as a very strong offensive player, and she has adapted well to learning new defenses.”

There is life outside water polo. Kate Weatherup, another Class of 2023 member in the senior-heavy rotation, says she wants to remember “CIF day together, hype-up sessions before games, and watching other (Bishop’s) teams’ games, like basketball and soccer” from her high school experience.

Julia Bonaguidi, a prolific scorer who had one goal posted up against Laguna Beach in the Regionals where she just turned and slammed the ball over her defender from close range, lets you into her mental process: “I always try to envision the specific things that our opponent does. Bringing those specific things to the front of my mind gets me in game mode and gives me a little more confidence going into the game.”

Her coach says Bonaguidi is currently training with the senior women’s national team and traveling with them. “She has been incredibly solid her whole career,” Peabody says. “She is a student of the game that is always working on improving herself as a player and a teammate.”

Says Peabody, “I believe the high level of intensity that people see from the outside is due to a group of athletes that are very goal-oriented and very driven to find success in the classroom and in the pool.”