It has been eight years since the Gulliver Prep girls' water polo team lost a game. During a 222-game winning streak, Gulliver has won eight state championships and become one of the most dominant teams in any sport in state history.

This season, Gulliver returns a strong core of experienced players who are looking to maintain the streak and add another piece of hardware to the trophy case.

''The streak is scary; there is a lot of pressure on the older girls. It's harder than defending a [state] title,'' senior captain Monica Chaviano said.

``I mean, it's just a streak but it means a lot to us. And we are going to try and keep the streak alive.''

Gulliver, which is considered by some coaches as the early favorite to win the state championship, will need to continue playing at a high level to remain perfect.

Gulliver will have many challenges on its road to the district tournament, and one of the hurdles it will have to overcome is starting the season without Alex Bennett as coach.

Halfway through last season, Bennett was fired by the school for reasons that were never given. Bennett was the face of Gulliver water polo, and many of the girls on the team also played for his club team Florida Coast.

Swimming coach Peter Prince filled in for Bennett while a replacement could be found. After a brief search, Gulliver asked former Coral Reef girls' coach Carroll Vaughn if she wanted the job. Vaughn, who helped build the Coral Reef water polo program, didn't know if she wanted to accept the offer, but after some soul searching, decided it was ``a good opportunity.''

''Coral Reef treated me great,'' Vaughn said. ``[Gulliver] has things that other schools don't have. They have a good program; they have kids in middle school that I can develop.''

Many of the players on the varsity team have been playing water polo at Gulliver since middle school.

Senior captain Ali McDowell is one of Gulliver's best home-grown talents and has been on the varsity team for five years.

McDowell, who was second-team All-Dade last season, is excited to get back in the pool and start the season.

''The team has been training really hard,'' McDowell said. ``We are trying to settle into a new system . . . everyone is really enthused this year.''

For Vaughn, the transition from Coral Reef to Gulliver has been relatively easy, but there have been some rough spots.

Winning over a veteran team that has had only one coach can be a difficult job.

''We're building every day and every day it's getting easier,'' Vaughn said. ``They know how to win and know what it takes to win. They have been playing together for a long time.''

If Gulliver wants to win another state title, it will have to cross paths again with rival Ransom Everglades. Ransom, which lost 11-4 to Gulliver in the state championship game last season, has a talented team.

''We only lost one player from last year,'' Ransom coach Eric Lefebvre said. ``Last year we finished second in the state and we are hungry for more.''

Junior center Maddy Rosenthal is one of Ramsom's returning players who is expected to have a big season. Rosenthal, who was first-team All-Dade last season, led Ransom with 69 goals and 23 assists.

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