Schedule will force new leaders to emerge for Oakdale girls water polo

Shelby Stender was picked to be The Bee’s Water Polo Player of the Year three times. Picked to take part in a USA team camp. Picked to be an academic All-American.

However, she wasn’t picked to lead the Oakdale High School girls water polo program. As coach Diane Kline put it, that happened organically.

Stender’s natural leadership and undeniable talent turned the Mustangs into a Sac-Joaquin Section power during her four-year career. She left Oakdale with two impressive streaks intact: The Mustangs, long a football and baseball powerhouse, have won back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships and haven’t lost a league game in four seasons.

“The biggest thing with Shelby was that during a game she was like a coach in the water,” Kline said of the UC San Diego freshman. “She was very communicative and really talkative and made sure they were all on the same page. She was in the pool with them and could be that leader. That’s where we might have the most difficult time, filling that role. She stepped up in that capacity.”

Now comes the hard part: replacing Stender and three other starters while navigating a schedule lined with bullies. Oakdale will take part in tournaments at Clovis West and Woodcreek and lock horns with 10-time section champion Rio Americano, St. Mary’s, Bella Vista, Monache and Clovis, to name a few.

At some point early on, likely this weekend at the Clovis West invite, Kline is confident roles will be established and new leaders will emerge. She’s already seen flashes of that in-pool stewardship from senior goalie Caitlin Golding and junior 2-meter Emily Bennett.

“Our philosophy is that leaders emerge,” Kline said. “We don’t have to say, ‘You’re a captain,’ or, ‘You’re a leader.’ They just step up, and the girls respect that. It’s happened organically over the last few years.”

Organically, sure, with a little master manipulation on Kline’s part.

The Valley Oak League has gone to a single round-robin format with the arrival of Bret Harte and Calaveras, which has freed up contacts. Kline has used those contacts to schedule some of Northern California’s top programs.

“We tried to make the schedule tough knowing that we’ll probably lose games that last year we may have won,” Kline said. “Ultimately, we want to work toward the playoffs. Our ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs.”

The roster has changed, but the bar remains high. Even with a new cast, Oakdale expects to compete for VOL and section championships. That is legacy created by Stender and the Class of 2015, which appeared in four consecutive Division II section finals.

“I think already there is a tone. There is this mentality that they’re not going to be satisfied seeing what happens. They want to push hard, and if we work as hard as we can and we don’t make it back to the section final, we did all we could,” Kline said. “But they’re not willing to roll over and say this won’t be our year. They feel like they’ve got a lot to live up to.”

The Mustangs won’t be lacking for talent. Bennett led Oakdale in scoring last fall with 80 goals, while Whitney Lee struck for 11 goals in her freshman season and Clare McKeon for seven goals in her sophomore year. Golding averaged nearly eight saves per match.

Kate Mendes and Kinsey Ollis are the other members of a talented junior class. The new nucleus played together through the summer, competing at the Junior Olympics.

“The seniors last year had never finished the season earlier than the section finals,” Kline said. “It was tough to graduate so many, but we had (four) sophomores and a freshman. Knowing that we would lose so many, it kind of prepared those underclassmen for this year.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Schedule will force new leaders to emerge for Oakdale girls water polo."