Mira Costa’s shooting southpaw
Kelly Giery scored three goals in Mira Costa’s 13-10 victory over rival Palos Verdes. Photo
All-CIF player Kelly Giery has helped Mira Costa to a No. 2 ranking in CIF-SS Division 3 girls water polo
For someone who didn’t care for swimming prior to high school, senior Kelly Giery has made quite a splash for Mira Costa’s girls water polo team.
“I was a land lover and played volleyball,” Giery said. “I didn’t start playing water polo until the end of 8th grade. But there a lot of scholarships available in water polo so I was looking ahead.”
Giery’s success in the pool comes as no surprise to her parents, Ron and Laurie. Kelly’s older brothers Ron, Jeffrey and Brett were standout players at Mira Costa and Kelly will follow in the wake of their careers when she attends USC in the fall.“Our entire family is so proud of Kelly,” Ron said of his daughter. “She is an amazing young lady. When our first son Ronnie started playing at Mira Costa Kelly was three years old. She has grown up on the pool deck, watching her brothers play. At one point she wanted to play volleyball and wanted to make her own way, in a different sport. But she decided to give water polo a try. Not an easy thing to do given her brothers success.”
“I had visited Cal and UCLA, but USC was always my dream school,” Giery said. “I made the commitment to play for the Trojans in August.”
Giery was an All-CIF performer as a junior and has helped Mira Costa to the No. 2 ranking in Division 3 this season. She is among the leading scorers for the Mustangs, who placed 6th in the highly-competitive America’s Finest City tournament in San Diego. Giery recorded five goals, three assists and five steals to pace the team to a 3-2 record.
Left-handed shooting Kelly Giery is among the leading scorers for Mira Costa’s girls water polo team. Photo
“The AFC tournament was the best we played all season long,” Giery said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries so it was the first time we all played together in some time. We really came together as a team and played well as a unit.”
In past year’s the Bay League race was mostly a two-team race with Mira Costa and Palos Verdes battling it out for the crown. But this season, Peninsula and Redondo have earned top-ten spots in the Division 3 rankings.
“This is definitely the most competitive league we’ve played in,” Giery said. “It will really prepare us for the CIF playoffs.”
Giery knows what it will take to win a CIF title. She scored three goals in Mira Costa’s 7-6 loss to Los Osos in the Division 3 championship game last season. It was the first time Mira Costa’s girls water polo team had reached the CIF finals.
“I think we have a strong chance of winning CIF,” Giery said. “We had a young team last year that gained valuable experience. I believe our team has a lot of chemistry this season and we have more scorers this year. Plus, goalkeeper Katie Nitzberg has been playing amazing for us.”
Giery feels being a left-handed shooter keeps other teams off balance, forcing opponents to block with their other hand. Yet, she believes her awareness is the strength of her game.
“Seeing the entire pool and how the possession is being played out is one of my strong points,” Giery said. “I also believe my duty as a team captain has helped our team chemistry this year. I learned how to be a leader from my brothers.
“My parents push me every day to be the best person I can possibly be, but my brothers have been major influences in my life. We’re best friends and watching their success – winning in CIF, the National Championships and Junior Olympics – has made me realize how many hours of hard work it takes to become a winner.”
Ron said Mira Costa is a special place for his family.
Mira Costa head coach Jon Reichardt discusses the game plan with his players. Photo
“Kelly’s mom is an alumni,” Ron said. “So our entire family could not be prouder of Kelly’s work ethic and drive to reach her goal. It’s a dream come true for Laurie and I to see all of our children get the opportunity to be part of such an outstanding university. It’s hard to put into words, how proud we are.
“But make no mistake, each one of them put in thousands of hours of practice and school work, missed vacations, missed dances, missed weekends of fun, to get the chance to be part of USC. But for Kelly it’s even more amazing, water polo is an unbelievably physical and rough sport, so for her to excel at this level, it takes a will and desire that few kids have, let alone young ladies.”
Giery also looks up to Mira Costa coach Jon Reichardt, whom she considers a father figure.
“He is such an amazing coach and I respect him immensely,” Giery said. “All the girls love him and he connects with everyone as a person as well as a player. He knows which players can be yelled at and those that need to be taken aside. His style is evident as shown by his success coaching the boys and girls water polo teams.”
“Kelly is one of many outstanding athletes to come through the Mira Costa program,” Reichardt said. “I expect her to continue having success on the college level.”
When not in the pool, Giery hits the gym to focus on body weight training under the tutelage of former USC and national team standout Erika Figge.
“Erika has become a mentor to me,” Giery said. “Not only does she help me with strength training and injury prevention, but she teaches me a lot about the mental side of the game.”
Giery said she is looking forward to playing at USC, where she is considering studying business or marketing.
“I enjoy writing, which will help me in college,” Giery said. “Along with earning a degree, I’m hoping to win a NCAA championship. To play on that level with the high caliber of athletes has been a goal of mine.”