Count on Academy of Our Lady of Peace senior Ava Bayne and her girls water polo teammates to make a lot of noise again this season.
After going winless three years ago, the Pilots reached the CIF San Diego Section Division 3 final last season. Along the way, they loudly proclaimed their team motto.
“PVO! PVO!” they would chant. That’s OLP-speak for Positive Vibes Only.
“Other coaches will say, ‘Wow, your team’s energy is incredible,”’ Bayne said. “That positivity is every single girl not only wanting to do their best but pushing each other. That’s the biggest thing on our team.”
The creed came at the suggestion of Pilots coach Harrison Trubitt, a Cathedral Catholic graduate who has guided the rebirth of the OLP program that’s less than a decade old. He took control following the winless season.
With their success last season, OLP has moved up from the Central League to the Eastern League and advanced to Division 2 for the playoffs.
The Pilots, who practice and play at the San Diego Kroc Center in La Mesa, have their entire starting lineup back this season, including six all-league performers. They open their season Tuesday at Olympian.
At the center of it all is Bayne, who recorded 36 goals and team highs of 37 assists and 43 steals for OLP (11-5) last season.
“She’s the definition of the term ‘field general,”’ Trubitt said “To have the poise she has is so impressive, and she has such a strategic mind. She can see every move about three steps before it happens. Other players of her caliber may want to take the game in their own hands. She wants to facilitate.”
A youth soccer player, Bayne found her calling when she tried water polo at age 12, Her father, Gresham, a La Jolla alum, played at Harvard. Her younger brother, Oliver, competes at the club level as an eighth grader.
“When I went to my first water polo practice, it all clicked,” Bayne said. “It was awesome. I fell in love with it.”
In club water polo, Bayne has competed in the Junior Olympics, and she has already been selected for the third stint on the Olympic Development Program zone team next year.
From the challenging season for OLP her freshman year, Bayne helped the Pilots reach the Division 3 quarterfinals the next season. Then came last year’s finals appearance as the third-seeded Pilots lost 16-3 to No. 1 Mt. Carmel, which later reached the Southern California Regional Division 2 final.
“Oh my gosh, it was incredible to be there,” Bayne said. “We were determined to really come together as a team. It was all the hard work the last couple of years paying off.”
Senior Jeni Delassio returns in goal after volunteering to switch from the field last season. Junior Claire Padilla, noted for her defense, spearheads the attack as well. She had both 38 goals and 38 steals last season.
Another boost comes from sophomore Jillian Duffy, who led the team with 45 goals.
Also back after her debut season is senior Gabby Hollman, a former volleyball player who switched to swimming and then added water polo.
Bayne also stands out in the classroom. She’s taking four advanced placement classes and an honors course this year with a GPA well above 4.0. Bayne is studying college options to play at a Division I school on either coast. She plans to major in biology with the objective of becoming an anesthesiologist.
“I’ve always been very goal-focused and have had an idea for my future,” Bayne said. “So, honestly, around seventh and eighth grade, I did my own research and decided I wanted to be an anesthesiologist. That’s what I want to do.”
Although her main position relates to defense, the 5-foot-8 Bayne adjusts her position depending on the opponent. No matter where, she’s known to sound off.
“I’m really the voice behind a lot of the movements,” Bayne said. “You’ll hear me directing everyone in the pool during the games. For instance, “I’ll say, ‘Good job, or slide left, keep pushing.’ I’m definitely the positive voice in the pool.”
After all, for the Pilots, it’s PVO.
Thien is a freelance writer.
