Varsity girls’ volleyball plays its first regular season home game against Mira Costa on Sept. 22 and hopes to have a strong start with a new team.

“We lost 10 seniors, so this team is pretty much new,” captain and junior Sophia Stenzel said. “We really had to adjust playing in general because we have a whole new team with different players.”

Although 11 of the 16 players on the team are first-time varsity players, the team still has high hopes for this season and will continue to practice diligently.

“I think our expectation is to hopefully get to CIF and win the first game,” Stenzel said.

Varsity girls’ golf is looking to have a successful year under Coach Glenn Van Enk this season.

“I think as a whole, we are a lot more focused this year,” captain and senior Nicole Suppelsa said. “[In the summer], a lot of our girls played in local and state junior golf tournaments which really helped them gain skills and experience golf outside of high school to help boost their confidence.”

In the South Bay Classic golf tournament on Sept. 16 at the Los Amigos Golf Course, sophomore Momoka Sasaki, junior Hana Kodaka and Suppelsa represented Peninsula as a team of three and placed first by ten strokes with a score of 237.

“[Winning the tournament] was super exciting because our team had not won a match, let alone a tournament, in a long time,” Suppelsa said. “A lot of success in a short period of time is always a great way to pump up a group of girls to play better golf every time we play a match.” 

Varsity boys’ cross country is looking forward to a promising year with a good mix of new and seasoned runners.

“There are definitely some new members who are expected to make an impact on the team in the next couple years,” head coach Chris Foster said.

Junior Chris Alon is also optimistic about the new season.

“I think our cross country team really stepped up from last year,” Alon said. “The amount of effort and commitment we put into our workouts really show in our races, and I am looking forward to a great season with my teammates.”

The girls’ cross country and boys’ cross country team will be practicing together this year for the first time in Peninsula history.

“It was just the way the program worked out this year with staff,” head coach Chris Foster said. “Also, we have seen the girls benefit a lot from running with the boys, and the boys get pushed by the girls as well.”

New varsity freshmen members are expected to provide an edge for the team this year along with returning runners such as junior Jessica Nye, who has been making great strides early in the season.

Nye placed second in the Girls Blue Division at the Woodbridge Classic race on Sept. 17.

“[At first], I did not know how fast the competition was going to be so I went all out with a faster pace to see if anyone would follow,” Nye said. “It was exciting to place because that was a new strategy I had not used before, and there was a really good outcome.”

Boys’ water polo has started off at a slow start this season with a 0-3 record.

“Since I am a new coach for varsity, I need to build this team together, which means working on fundamentals,” head coach Brad Silver said. “We are continuing to learn more about our players and how to help one another to make things happen both offensively and defensively.”

Silver is still optimistic about this season, hoping the team can make it to CIF.

“I expect [the team] to get better with every game,” Silver said. “Every game we have played so far, we do something better than we ever have before.”

Varsity girls’ tennis has started with a 2-1 record this season, losing to San Marino on Sept. 20.

The team is looking at some big changes after losing leading players this year, but it is expecting a strong season nonetheless.

“We lost four of our starters, but that will just push us to work harder,” co-captain and senior Tia Elpusan said. “We also have two amazing freshmen who I know will be very successful in their matches.”

Elpusan hopes that the team can win the Bay League title and defeat Palos Verdes and Mira Costa later in the season.

 “[The PV Match] is the most important match in my opinion because they have really stepped up their game, so I think it will be an interesting match,” Elpusan said. “The Mira Costa match is also important because they are also a strong team, so we will need to play our best in order to win.”