Miramonte has won the past three Northern California Division 1 regional girls water polo titles and captured four championships overall since the event began in 2017, but the path to another crown will be a significant challenge for the Matadors.
Miramonte (18-7) earned the No. 5 seed in the eight-team Division 1 regional playoffs and will play at No. 4 Campolindo (19-6), with the CIF-North Coast Section rivals squaring off for the third time this season.
Campolindo won 9-4 on Sept. 7 in the Acalanes Tournament and secured a 7-5 victory Oct. 1 in a Diablo Foothill League showdown.
Miramonte has won its regional opener in all five years the event has been contested, reaching the finals every season but 2019.
Sacred Heart Prep (24-2), which won its second consecutive CIF-Central Coast Section Open Division title and third in program history Saturday with a 12-2 victory against Soquel, secured the top seed and will play host Tuesday to No. 8 Granite Bay (29-3).
The Gators, who didn’t face Granite Bay during the regular season, are looking to reach the regional final for the first time since 2019 and are still seeking their first title in program history.
Granite Bay earned a 10-7 win Saturday against Davis Senior in the CIF-Sac Joaquin Section Division 1 championship match to capture the first title in program history, atoning for losses to the Blue Devils the past three years in the division final.
Carondelet (21-5) is the No. 2 seed and matches up against No. 7 Acalanes (18-8) in another North Coast Section clash.
Carondelet, which captured the North Coast Section Open Division championship for the first time Saturday with an 8-6 victory against Campolindo, suffered a 9-8 loss Sept. 24 in their only regular-season meeting with Acalanes.
Carondelet won its first section title since capturing the Division 2 crown in 2021, with the Cougars pursuing a second regional championship after winning the Division 2 title two years ago.
Acalanes is the only other program apart from Miramonte to win the Division 1 regional championship by defeating Sacred Heart Prep in the 2019 final.
Arroyo Grande (28-5), the Central Section Division 1 champion following a 15-9 triumph Saturday against Clovis East, received the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 Soquel (22-7) in Tuesday’s opener.
The Eagles prevailed by a 12-6 margin against Soquel in their lone regular-season meeting Sept. 21 at the Mountain View St. Francis Tournament.
Arroyo Grande won the Division 2 regional title in 2021, but is still seeking its first appearance in a Division 1 regional final.
The regional semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, with the championship held Nov. 23.