After a dominant 17-3 win over Burbank High School on Friday night, Calabasas Girls Water Polo is off to its best start in program history with a 9-1 record. Over those ten games, the team has looked unstoppable, averaging a 12.7-goal margin of victory and outscoring opponents by a staggering 175-48.
The Coyotes are led by several key players, with junior Taylor Credle particularly excelling. As a sophomore, Credle posted a historic season, setting program records in goals, assists, steals, and points. Her exceptional performance earned her spots on both the 1st-team All-County and 1st-team All-CIF rosters, and she also competed in the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics.
“We’ve changed our pre-game warm-ups to be more team-oriented and to get each other excited for the game,” said Credle. “We get into a huddle before each game and we all talk about what we need to accomplish and supportive things for everyone.”
Senior goalie Abby Shapiro has also been an integral player for Calabasas, setting a program record with 283 blocks in a season. She earned 2nd-team All-County, 2nd-team All-CIF, and 2nd-team All-League honors for her outstanding play. Shapiro will continue her athletic career at the University of California, Merced.
“Our team has become so close and have learned to trust each other,” said Shapiro. “We all want to succeed and are willing to put in 110% to get to where we want.”
Between 2019 and 2021, Calabasas compiled a 5-34 record as the team desperately searched for an identity. Now, in his third season as head coach, former CHS alum Andrew Maitam has revitalized the program, leading the Coyotes to impressive starts of 8-1, 8-2, and currently 9-1 as they head into Marmonte League play.
However, since transferring from the Coastal Canyon League in 2018, the Calabasas Coyotes have yet to win a Marmonte League game. Despite an impressive 17-14 overall record last season, the team finished 0-8 in league play. Similarly, in Maitam’s first year, the Coyotes posted a winning overall record but remained winless in the Marmonte League
“We know that going into the rest of our season we will have more competitive games, so we have been working on things to get those teams in bad positions and for us to capitalize on their mistakes,” said Credle.
Coming off a quarterfinal appearance in the Division-5 CIF playoffs with a squad full of talented, experienced athletes, the Coyotes seem poised to conquer their Marmonte League demons and make a run for a CIF title.
