
San Diego State water polo senior Rachel Serna is reserved.
She’s humble, quiet and all the things people don’t normally associate with a star athlete.
Even learning that Serna played tennis in high school is a chore because her humility causes her to downplay her achievements.
“She wouldn’t ever bring this up,” head coach Carin Crawford said. “But she was the No. 1 singles player in tennis at Coronado High School her senior year.”
But even Serna can’t downplay her achievements in the pool the last two seasons.
The soft-spoken senior has let her game do the talking, tallying 65 goals (fourth-highest in the nation) last season.
And she has shown no signs of slowing down this season, having already tallied 17 goals in just 12 games.
“She’s just quiet and humble,” Crawford said. “So it does sometimes sort of sneak up on all of us how much she does for this team.”
What she brings to the table is more than just a goal-scoring presence. Serna does the little things – hustles for loose balls, gets back on defense and makes the extra pass.
“I think she brings a lot to the pool besides just stats,” Crawford said. “She really leads by example.
“She’s one the hardest workers in the pool.”
Oddly enough, Serna’s journey toward becoming a water polo star didn’t start in the pool; it began on the beach.
Serna was surfing when local Coronado High School head coach Randy Burgess noticed her athleticism and asked her to try out for the school’s water polo team.
The athleticism Burgess noticed was obvious in Serna’s high school career. She not only excelled in water polo but also in tennis. This obvious versatility made her a highly sought-after recruit.
“She’s just a very good all-around athlete,” Crawford said. “When you have somebody that really has the hand-eye coordination, really has the work ethic in multiple sports, it always has a positive impact on the water polo game.”
Hard work has become the mantra for Serna’s game. The 5-foot-6 driver lacks the size to dominate but makes up for it with her intelligence and quickness.
“(Success) depended a lot on my strength and speed,” Serna said.
Added Crawford: “I think all our smaller, faster drivers are definitely inspired by her and definitely see her as a role model for how effective she can be by using the other tools besides size.”
And for someone who’s so small, she’s developed one other asset – her shot.
“She just has an amazing shot,” Crawford said. “(It’s a) really quick shot. She’s really aggressive.”
Serna, as usual, gave the credit to Crawford.
“I think she’s helping the most on my shooting,” Serna said. “Not focusing so much on power, as opposed to accuracy and placement, keeping my wrist straight when shooting the ball.”
And as much as she tries to avoid the spotlight, she acknowledges that the recognition has been nice.
“I think I’ve gone beyond what I was hoping to accomplish,” Serna said. “As a player, it always makes you feel good to be recognized.”
If she keeps up this pace, recognition may be an understatement.