DVC’s women’s water polo began practice last week, giving head coach Rick Millington his first opportunity to evaluate the 2013 team.

Millington made it clear from the outset: “This is a building year. We were hit hard with departing graduates.”

Attackers Olivia “Peachy” Vicencio and Caroline Howard are the only returning starters. Coupling that with a 14-player roster consisting of eight freshmen, who’ve yet to play a game at the college level, has made it difficult for Millington to form a solid outlook for his team.

One player Millington has high expectations for is Ghitta Ferrara. Ferrara had transferred to CSU Northridge, but due to scholarship issues, she chose to return to DVC.

“I know Ghitta will be very strong on offense, but it depends on what kind of support she has,” Millington stated.

Vicencio gave her opinion of the team’s prospects, saying, “I think we have a lot of different skills on this team, so we could be very well-rounded.” She also echoed the coach’s statement about Ferrara’s central offensive role.

She addressed her shared role as a returnee by stating, “Caroline and I have good chemistry already, but we can both improve in a few ways.”

As for her personal benchmarks, she’d like to fill her stat sheet.

“I want to contribute more offensively,” she stated. “I usually help a lot defensively, but I’d like to get some goals for myself.”

Women’s water polo opens their season at the two-day Cuesta Tournament in San Luis Obispo on Friday, Sept. 13.