Congratulations to our Acalanes Lady Dons!
The Lady Dons headed down to Menlo-Atherton High School to defend their title from last year’s Amanda McDonald Tournament. The time was 12pm and the opponent was the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs of San Jose. The Dons were fired up! Senior Brooklyn Plomp scored the first goal of the game in less than 30 seconds. Senior Live Hoppe rode that momentum and added another goal a minute later. It didn’t take long for Sophomore Ella Del Rosario to get in on the action. The Dons were on a roll and although Mitty was able to add a few to the scoreboard, it wasn’t enough to catch up to Acalanes who won the game 15-9.
Senior Brooklyn Plomp gets ready to score the first goal of the tourney
Senior Liv Hoppe looks to pass into senior Melina Nath in set
Sophomore Siena La Rotunda lines up her shot
At 6 p.m., the Lady Dons got back in the pool to face the Marin Academy Wildcats. The Lady Dons came out strong and looked great! The passes were flawless, the teamwork was epic, the players did a great job anticipating each other’s moves and the fans enjoyed some beautiful water polo from start to finish. 21-8
Sophomore Ella Del Rosario takes a 5-meter penalty shot
Senior Kyra Weiss looks for the open net
Senior Jenny Haugner takes on the Marin Academy goalie
Sophomore goalie Sadie Hendrickson makes a great save
The Lady Dons enjoyed a fun evening of team bonding with great food and a conga line!
The sun was shinning on Saturday morning as the Lady Dons faced Archie Williams in the semi-finals. The Dons played Archie Williams earlier in the season and knew the Pirates would put up a good fight. Acalanes came out strong and kept their momentum throughout the game, winning 10-4 and earning a trip to the finals!
Junior Levand Koopah launching her shot
Sophomore Sara Williams looks for an open teammate
The tournament finals were set: Acalanes Dons versus the Menlo School Knights. The Lady Dons started the game with a few bar shots, but senior Brooklyn Plomp sent a strong shot to the upper right-hand corner for the lead. The Knights came prepared to battle, but they couldn’t catch sophomore Ella Del Rosario who quickly added several goals and a significant lead. The most exciting play of the game was when freshman goaltender Adelyn Horicza stole the ball, swam it up to half-court, and let the ball fly with one second on the clock. The stands were silent as everyone watched the sail through the air and slide into the upper left-hand corner! The game belonged to the Lady Dons who played well, fought hard, and won 15-9.
Freshman goalies Adelyn Horciza prepares for her epic half-court shot
Junior Maddie Walsh plays strong defense against the Menlo Knights
Senior Wendy Heffelfinger gets ready to pass the ball to freshman set Finley Graff
Sophomore Addison Dankworth prepares to send the ball to the back of the net
A big thanks to our fabulous coaches Misha and Pat!
And we can’t forget Hagel, our #1 fan!