With four years of competitive water polo experience playing on a club team in California, Co-Captain Sveva Rosati ’19 has been a leader on the team since walking onto the starting lineup her Lower year.
Rosati said, “I started playing water polo in sixth grade. I swam prior to that, and water polo is pretty big in where I’m from in California, so I just joined the club team in my area and started playing. My favorite part about water polo at Andover is definitely the girls on the team. It’s a really close knit team, and a really positive team, so that is definitely my favorite part.”
Because of her past experience with the sport, Rosati is a natural leader on the team, according to Head Coach Jill Meyer ’09. Rosati’s endurance is also a source of inspiration, as she is able to play for all four quarters, according to Jackie Rossi ’20.
Rossi said, “Sveva is just really resilient all the time. She’s probably one of the most determined players on the team. When we play games, she’s usually in for all four quarters—even on days when we have doubleheaders, she’s also playing the entirety of the game. It’s really impressive that she’s able to still pull the team together in the water and also play so well individually until the very last minute.”
“I think that Sveva is very hard-working. she sets a really good example for the other girls in the pool, so if you tell her to start a drill then she’ll get it going and offer people advice and constructive feedback on how to throw better or when to time a pass, so she is really helpful in helping the younger kids grow,” continued Coach Meyer.
In addition to serving as an example, Rosati is a key asset to the team as a motivator according to Sofia Smirnov ’22 and Co-Captain Mamie Wilson ’20.
Smirnov said, “Sveva has an inner aspect of leadership. She is always there for questions, like during practice, and she’s also a really funny person to be around. She always has a source of motivation, she never does anything halfway.”
Wilson added, “I think she’s really good at dealing with the more difficult situations we run into in the pool, like if someone has really low confidence, she’s good at supporting other people, and just being a shoulder to lean on if you feel bad about a game or practice. She also has experience as well before coming to Andover, so she is someone that a lot of people look up to in terms of skill, and if they have questions about the game itself. ”
In the pool, Rosati has strong game vision and can move around quickly and stealthily, which makes her a player many of her teammates strive to resemble, according to Meyer and Wilson.
Meyer said, “As a player, Sveva is very alert. She always knows where the ball is, where her player is, whether an offense or defense, and she sees the game as a big picture, which I think speaks to her experience and playing for a long time. A lot of the time newer players are totally fixated on the ball, or their defense person, and don’t see it as a larger team playing in the water, but Sveva is really good at seeing the big picture.”
“As a player, Sveva is amazing in the pool. She is super fast, and she’s able to read the pool very well, she always knows the right time to drive or if someone is about to take a shot she’s really good at getting ready and getting open in case it goes out. I think she’s really a sneaky player, and she is able to maneuver around people and get open and steal balls in ways people do not expect. She is also able to put the ball in the back of the net if need be,” added Wilson.
This season, Rosati is looking to increase the confidence of the players around her, and to try and maintain a positive atmosphere, something that she learned from last years Co-Captain, Emma Chatson ’18 and Eastlyn Frankel ’18.
Rosati said, “All of the captains have been great, but last year, Eastlyn and Emma were always really positive and upbeat, setting the tone for the team, and that type of energy is something that I want to emulate myself. I think [a strong goal], because we have a lot of new players, would be just for the new girls to get really comfortable with the game and their skills, and increase their confidence overall.”
