The girls on the Mission Bay High School water polo team want their fourth-straight league championship in what is already proving to be a banner year. The numbers back their swagger. The Bucs are not only riding an 11-3 start, a program-best in the last five years, but they are also unbeatable in league. “One of the things that we are most proud of is the fact that, in the last three years, we’ve won 17 league games consecutively,” said coach Troy Merkel. Count senior captain Nayeli Davila as a big reason why. “She’s been fun to rely on,” Merkel said. “We’ve been through the good, the bad and everything in between. She’s helped everyone become a better player.” Merkel got a sneak peak of Davila’s talents from her two older brothers, Juan and Jose, who played for Merkel as well. Davila’s oldest brother, Obed, graduated the year Merkel arrived. “It was exciting to know that she was coming in,” Merkel said. Davila shared Merkel’s excitement, as she was eager to follow in her brothers’ footsteps. “I’ve always looked up to them, so when they started playing sports, I wanted to,” Davila said. “When I started playing water polo, I played with them — all guys — so they taught me how to be rough.” Despite being the youngest of four, Davila is a natural leader. She motivates her teammates to do their best, is a leader in the classroom and is also part of Mission Bay’s Link crew. “It’s where a bunch of upper classmen meet the freshmen the first day and show them around school, and if they need any help, they come to you,” Davila said. “My brothers did it their senior years, so I decided to give it a shot. I know it’s hard to be a freshman, so I figured I’d help them ‘link’ in the right way.” There’s no doubt Davila’s leadership path will be amplified in the fall. “I got an offer from Virginia Military Institute to play water polo for them,” Davila said. “And right now I am in the process of accepting the partial scholarship.” Davila is the first to say the military route is one she thought wouldn’t include her, but a scholarship offer changed that. The school trains students for all branches of the military, with officer commission an option after graduation. The Navy and the Air Force interest Davila most. Coach Merkel said he takes pride in Davila’s accomplishments. “She’s being looked at right now by colleges that are Division I, which is exciting,” Merkel said. “To have an athlete who is being looked at by Division I is always rewarding as a coach.” Davila dishes back the compliments about her coach. “I’ve learned many things from Troy,” Davila said. “How to defend more, how to have heart, how to play. He loves the sport. He has heart for this sport and that has rubbed off on me. I really love the sport too. He is just a great coach.” Under Merkel, the Bucs boast a 62-44 record and one of the most athletic squads to grace the Clairemont Pool, which is where they play. Merkel hopes his talented team earns the highest seed possible for CIF playoffs. “My goal is to also advance the underclassmen and just, hopefully, build this team and its knowledge of the game in the years to come,” Merkel said. He is making adjustments along the way to do so. “Right now, we found success in rotating our goalies,” Merkel said. “One is Nikki Zanchetta and [and another is] Whitney Winchester. They support each other and they don’t want to let the team down. They both have strengths that apply to this game.” Also, the cliché of practicing like you play doesn’t apply to the Lady Bucs. Merkel, as well as junior Rachel Lobato, state practices are pretty relaxed, but the team’s competitive edge comes out in matches. “Well, you almost don’t fix it unless it’s broken,” Merkel said. “Whatever is working right now, we are going with it.”