The Palo Alto High School girls’ water polo team (10-17, 3-8) claimed an 11-10 victory against Menlo Atherton High School (3-11, 0-1) in the Division 1 Central Coast Section quarterfinals on Saturday night in the Peery Family Center pool.

The Vikings started strong and dominated the first quarter, with goals by senior captains Sophie Frick and Sabrina Hall, leading a comfortable 3-0 advantage against the Bears. However, the Bears started to catch up during the 2nd quarter, capitalizing from several interceptions.

The game remained close throughout the second half and was tied during the third quarter.

With time running out and a close, intense game for both teams, Frick successfully received the ball from a teammate and scored a goal against the Bears, leaving a well-secured 11-9 in favor of the Vikings with only minutes left.

Sophomore starter Chesnie Cheung maintained a strong presence during the game, successfully making multiple passes for the Vikings. These passes were caught by Frick, who was able to score many goals for the team.

According to senior captain Hollie Chiao, Paly’s teamwork and confidence helped lead the Vikings to a close victory.

“Communication definitely played a huge role in last night’s game,” Chiao said. “It allowed us to see times where [Vikings players] were open in set.”

Additionally, Hall cites the team’s composure and strategy in helping them overcome the Bears.

“We took a breath and just focused on getting the ball to our more experienced players,” Hall said. “Then we came back and played a safe defense.”

With another win added to their season tally, the Vikings are optimistic about their upcoming game against Mountain View (16-8, 8-4) on Tuesday in the CCS semifinals at Los Altos High School .

“We’ve beat them before, so we’re looking to keep up that energy and communication that we had against MA, and pull through with the W,” Chiao said.