Girls Water Polo: Huron Finishes on Top of the East Region at State Tournament
By Margaret Baker / For WLAA
The Huron River Rat girls’ water polo team came home solidly in 5th place – top of the East Region – from a very exciting State Tournament, featuring four teams each from the East and West regions. Huron secured their place with victories over Birmingham Seaholm (13-2) and Saline (6-5) June 4-5, in East Kentwood. They lost the opening game 6-4 vs. Rockford.
Stats for the weekend are as follows:
Junior/captain Emma Kaipainen: 10 goals, 1 assist, 2 field blocks, 4 steals
Junior/captain Zannah Baker: 6 goals, 12 steals, 3 assists
Senior/captain Dre Hubers: 1 goal, 5 steals, 4 assists
Freshman Anna Wyman: 2 goals, 5 steals, 2 assists
Sophomore Analiese Heissenbuettel, 2 goals, 1 steal
Junior Margo Leone: 1 goal, 4 steals, 1 assist
Junior Lily Rober: 1 assist
Junior Alli Sutton: 1 goal
Freshman Claire Leone: 1 steal
And for goalie junior Lydia Hargett, 37 saves, including a 5-meter block.
The Rats garnered a whole host of honors from the sport’s governing body, The Michigan Water Polo Association, including
For the East Region Tournament:
Baker, co-MVP
Kaipainen, First team
Hubers, second Team
Clara Bowman, second team
Hargett, second team goalie
Rory McDaniel, senior, Honorable Mention
For the State Tournament:
Kaipainen, first team
Baker, junior, second team
For the State Season:
Emma Kaipainen, first team
Zannah Baker, Honorable Mention
Coaches Mary Chatigny, Betsy Clyde, and Vlad Tolchinsky are proud of their 2021 State team: Baker, Bowman, Cali Streeter, Hubers, Kaipainen, Hargett, Heissenbuettel, senior/captain Kiana Hemati, C. and M. Leone, McDaniel, Sophia Riegle, Rober and Sutton, and Ece Uluyur, and the up and coming JV squad, Hailey Delp, Mary Hagan, Shayla Pawlicki, Ellie Soroka, Ella Stroud, VIcky Underwood, Maggie Wolf, and Lana Yang-Maccini.
