April 8, 2003
2002-03 NEWS-PRESS ALL-AREA TEAM GIRLS' WATER POLO
A saving grace
Glendale goalkeeper Sarineh Alexani turned her attitude around to lead the Nitros to the top

GLENDALE -- Glendale High girls' water polo Co-coach Alfred Tamazyan doesn't put up with slackers.
Most head coaches don't.
Tamazyan would look at Sarineh Alexani in great amazement.
The teenager had the talents. But she didn't have the dedication.
The athlete had the abilities. But she had a nonchalant attitude.
The goalkeeper had the qualities of being a leader. But she didn't care.
And the two-year varsity player had the potential, she just didn't live up to it.
Until this year. Until someone set her straight. Until she realized what she was capable of. And until she realized what she meant to a group of players that relied so heavily on her.
As a senior, Alexani emerged as the leader of the Nitros' team and a dominating presence, earning a Pacific League first-team selection.
It was for those reasons and more that she became the unanimous choice for the News-Press All-Area Player of the Year, as voted on by the writers and editors of the News-Press and Burbank Leader.
"This kid became outstanding," Tamazyan said.
It took years for that to happen, but when it did, it paid off in huge dividends for Glendale.
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Alexani changed. She knows it. So do her teammates and friends. And so does Tamazyan.
"I've been more dedicated," Alexani said. "I was more hard working."
When her senior year started, Alexani realized her attitude needed to be altered.
"I was very lazy," Alexani said.
If she was going to be lazy, then she would take her teammates down with her. If she wasn't going to try hard, then the Nitros probably wouldn't do well.
All-Area selections Teni Karimian (first team), Ariga Hacopian and Argine Kadymyan (second-team) meant a lot to their team. Karimian was a hole/guard who was the league's co-most valuable player.
Hacopian was a senior driver who recorded a team-high 46 goals and 52 steals. And Kadymyan was a hole/set who tallied 28 goals and 45 steals.
But without Alexani, the Nitros wouldn't have enjoyed as much success. Without Alexani, Glendale might not have basked in the glory of defeating Crescenta Valley for the league title. And without Alexani, the Nitros might not have accumulated 21 wins, which tied a program record.
"It's so hard to be the goalkeeper," Tamazyan said. "If we won, it was because of her. If we lost, it was because of her.
"She knew the team counted on her. Her caring for the team is what really did it."
Said Karimian: "Without Sarineh, it would have been very difficult to get to where we were at. She was amazing. She could stop shots from anywhere.
"She was very vocal and very loud and she let us know what needed to be done in the pool."
Alexani also knew what was needed of her to save Glendale's season.
On Jan. 29, she sustained a deep bone and tissue bruise just above her left wrist during a 12-7 loss to CV, forcing her to miss five matches.
She came back stronger than ever, helping the Nitros defeat Arcadia, 5-2, in the semifinals of the league tournament. A day later, Alexani got revenge against the Falcons, and Glendale made history with a 7-6 double overtime victory.
"I knew I was coming back," said Alexani, who recorded 292 saves on the year and allowed only 20 goals in the Nitros' final five matches.
"Even if my arm was broken, I was going to put a waterproof cast on it. I would do anything to get back in the pool."
Said Tamazyan: "For someone to get hurt as badly as she did and still come to every single practice and come back strong is amazing.
"She had a relentless attitude to win league."
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"He scared me," Alexani said.
He is Tamazyan.
But as soon as she said Tamazyan scared her because of his assuming demeanor, she also said the 26-year-old also made her a better player.
"I actually started to listen to authority and started being respectful," Alexani said.
"Alfred would tell me he needed me to work hard. He counted on me and pushed me."
It paid off in the end.
"She worked hard and there was no quit in her," Tamazyan said.
That's a vast contradiction from past years, but fortunately for the Nitros, Alexani shaped up just in time to propel Glendale to the top.
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
SARINEH ALEXANI * GLENDALE
SENIOR * GOALKEEPER
* Named first team All-Pacific League.
* Recorded area-best 292 saves.
* Allowed just 20 goals in final five matches of season.
* Made 27 saves in overtime victories against Arcadia and CV during the Pacific League tournament, which gave the Nitros their first league title since 2000.
* Helped Glendale to 21-9 record, which tied school mark for wins in a season.
ALL-AREA GIRLS' WATER POLO SECOND TEAM
*--* NAME SCHOOL YEAR POSITION Sang Cho La Canada Senior Driver Ariga Hacopian Glendale Senor Driver Nadine Ishak Burbank Senior Goalkeeper Argine Kadymyan Glendale Senior Hole/set Megan Martin CV Junior Driver Kara Murphy La Canada Sophomore Driver Jessica Ullo Burbank Senior Hole/set
*--*
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Brisa Sandoval
Burbank * Senior
Scored 60 goals,
a school record
Jessica Trimis
CV * Senior
Named 1st team
All-Pacific League
Lauren Sheridan
CV * Senior
Named 3rd Team
All-CIF Division III
Kate Spence
La Canada * Junior
Goalkeeper had
nearly 200 saves
Pat Lancaster and Alfred Tamazyan
Glendale * Coaches of the Year
Guided Nitros to Pacific League title and
tied school record for wins in a year (21)
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Story by Edgar Melik-Stepanyan * Photos by Scott Roby