Daughter duo makes season special for longtime Merced County water polo coach
Sydney and Kyley Abril learned to swim about the same time they learned how to walk.
The two Merced County sisters grew up around the pool with their father A.J. coaching water polo for 19 years. They both went to sleep as kids with stuffed little water polo balls in their beds.
That’s why this year was so special.
For the first time Sydney, a senior, and Kyley, a sophomore, are playing water polo together on the same team for the first time at Buhach Colony High in Atwater, and dad is their coach.
“It’s been amazing,” A.J. said. “They grew up around the sport when I was coaching at Atwater High. They were in diapers, jumping in the pool. Them playing together for the first time and me coaching them, has been special. I get emotional just thinking about it.”
The Abrils will lead the Thunder (25-11) into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs on Tuesday. Buhach Colony is the No. 7 seed after finishing second in the Central California Conference and will host No. 10 Oakdale at 3:30 p.m.
The Buhach Colony girls are one of eight local boys and girls water polo teams to advance to the playoffs.
The El Capitan girls earned the No. 6 seed in Division II after winning the CCC with a perfect 12-0 record. The Gauchos will host No. 11 Grace Davis on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. The Merced girls are the No. 12 seed in Division II and will open at No. 5 Rodriguez on Tuesday.
The Los Banos girls are the No. 6 seed in Division III and will play a first round game at No. 3 Christian Brothers on Thursday.
On the boys side, the El Capitan boys earned the No. 2 seed in Division II and will receive a first-round bye. Merced is the No. 6 seed and will host Johnasen on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Atwater is the No. 9 seed and will travel to Modesto to face No. 8 Grace Davis.
The Los Banos boys are the No. 6 seed in Division III and will open at No. 3 Ripon on Friday.
Sister Act
Sydney and Kyley have both made an impact for the Thunder this season.
Sydney is a third-year starter and the focal point of the Buhach Colony offense, playing at 2-meters. She leads BC in scoring with the offense going through her.
“Sydney has been a big part of our offense playing center,” A.J. said. “She has a pretty good water polo IQ. Another part of her role is directing traffic out there.”
Kyley is the top defender on the team, usually assigned to guard the other team’s center.
“She’s big on defense and that’s one of the most important things in water polo is defense,” Sydney said. “She’s made a big different on the team. She’s only a sophomore but she’s one of our leaders and we needed that.”
Kyley had to make the tough choice this year, choosing to play water polo over volleyball. She loves both sports, but the opportunity to play with her sister and play for her dad was too much to pass up.
“The very first thing I asked was ‘are you sure you want to do it?’ She was like, ‘Dad, it seems like you don’t want me to play water polo,’” A.J. said. “I didn’t want her to play because I or her sister was doing it. I wanted it to be her decision.”
Kyley says she made the right decision. “I love playing volleyball but I have no regrets,” she said.
Playing for dad
The coach-daughter relationship can be challenging, so A.J. quickly established that when they are at the pool he’s coach and not dad.
“I’ve set clear boundaries,” A.J. said. “If they ask a question it’s like ‘do you want hear from coach or hear from dad?’ When we’re out at the pool I’m coach. We established that early.”
The water polo conversations definitely follow the Abrils home. Both Sydney and Kyley are always looking for ways to get better and will pepper their dad with questions.
“Sometimes it’s hard,” Kyley said. “My dad has a lot going on so sometimes I’ll ask my sister how I did and she’ll try to give me an answer that won’t hurt my feelings.”
The best part is sharing those experiences after exciting games like when the Thunder staged a late comeback against Merced to win by one goal late.
“It was a crazy win,” Syndey said. “We talked about that game for a long time.”
In the pool it’s tough to tell this is the first time the Abril sisters have played together on the same team. They both play well together.
“We have our moments where we don’t have to say anything,” Sydney said. “We just lock eyes and we know what to do.”
Then there are other moments — usually at practice — when you can tell they are sisters.
“We’re really close, we love being around each other, but man, we do argue some times,” Sydney said. “She’s stubborn and nobody wants to listen to their sister.”
Not only has the daughter-father time made this season special, but both sisters say the tight group that the team has formed has added to the season.
“We did better than last year and better than my sophomore year,” Sydney said. “This has been a special group and my favorite year. My family is here. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The goal now is to extend the season as long as they can with a long playoff run. No matter what happens in the playoffs, it will be a season the Abrils will always remember.
“This has been their thing and I’m blessed to be apart of it with them,” A.J. said.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
