Dallas

Olympic-Level Water Polo Takes Center Stage in Lewisville

Some of the world's best water polo players are calling Lewisville home this week.

The Lewisville Independent School District's Westside Aquatic Center is hosting the 2016 FINA Women's Intercontinental Water Polo Tournament, a qualifying tournament for the world league's championships this summer.

Teams from Australia, China, Japan, Brazil, Canada and the United States began competing Tuesday night with games going through Sunday.

The event is a big grab for the city of Lewisville.

City spokesperson Matt Martucci said it's the first international event to be held at the district's new aquatic center, and not only draws in money to the city but also gets their name in front of water polo fans across the world.

"They're promoting Lewisville for us," said Martucci.

The event is also a big one for the teams playing, as it is the last competition for many of them before Olympic qualifying for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Sami Hill, goalie for Team USA, said it's exciting to play the important matches in front of a home crowd, even though the bulk of the team is from California and none call Texas home.

"It's always amazing to play in front of a home crowd. We don't get to play that often in the United States," said Hill.

Fans rolled out the red carpet for the team's arrival at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, bringing a drum line and cheers of support to welcome them to town.

Hill said they've also been stopped by residents at the store and in public to wish the team good luck.

The stands were already packed by game time Tuesday night for the USA's first match against Brazil, a likely sign of big crowds throughout the tournament.

Tickets during the week are $5 and go up to $10 for the weekend and championship games.

Lewisville ISD students get in for free during the week and will pay only $5 for the weekend games.

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