Unbeaten Palos Verdes girls water polo team continues to benefit from youth movement to earn first-round win in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs

PALOS VERDES – Kylie Nishimura played with the poise of a playoff veteran, not a freshman athlete making her postseason debut.

Fellow ninth-grader Ella Keene demonstrated the toughness and tenacity of a talented performer accustomed to the challenges of CIF-Southern Section Division 1 girls water polo, not an individual who found herself overwhelmed in any manner by the magnitude of the spotlight.

And sophomore Abbey Higgins took perimeter shots with the confidence and composure of an experienced competitor, not intimidated by the physical presence of the Ventura High defense and the pressure of executing late in the possession or with the clock winding down.

Post-match interviews

Palos Verdes combined the maturity showcased by several young standouts Thursday, with the steady performances of its senior leaders, as the top-seeded Sea Kings secured a 13-6 victory at home in their Division 1 playoff opener.

Jane Girard, an Indiana-bound senior, and Nishimura both had four goals, as six players scored for Palos Verdes (27-0), which also received nine saves from senior goalkeeper Maddie Marohn.

Palos Verdes goalkeeper Maddie Marohn | Erik Boal photo

The Sea Kings won their playoff opener for the third year in a row, after competing in Division 4 in 2023 and reaching the Division 3 final last season.

Palos Verdes also became only the seventh program in CIF-Southern Section history to win at least 27 consecutive matches in a season.

The Sea Kings will play host Feb. 12 to Alta Loma (13-14) – a 12-9 winner Thursday against Marlborough – in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

Palos Verdes prevailed by a 14-10 margin in a nonleague contest Dec. 9 against Alta Loma, which captured the Division 2 title last season after winning the Division 4 championship in 2023.

Celia Young, a senior, scored the opening goal less than 45 seconds into the match, but Ventura (17-12) never led again, as Palos Verdes responded with consecutive goals from Girard, Keene and Higgins, and held the Cougars scoreless for nearly eight minutes.

Delilah Safran, a freshman, converted a 5-meter penalty shot for Ventura with 5:22 left in the second, but the Sea Kings scored three unanswered goals – two more from Girard and another by Higgins – in a span of less than 90 seconds to conclude the opening half and begin the third quarter for a 6-2 advantage.

The Cougars endured another scoreless stretch of seven minutes, before Jenna Rippe took advantage of a 6-on-5 opportunity to pull Ventura to within 6-3 with 5:21 remaining in the third.

Quinn Kearns, a senior, and Nishimura produced back-to-back goals for Palos Verdes, before Safran capitalized on a turnover to score on a breakaway in the final minute of the third to cut the deficit to 8-4.

But Girard quickly helped the Sea Kings regain momentum by delivering her fourth goal with 18 seconds left in the quarter.

Nishimura took over in the fourth, contributing three goals, with junior Sydney Wynn adding another for Palos Verdes, which also secured a 9-6 victory Dec. 7 against the Cougars in the semifinals of the Mistletoe Classic.

Juliet Lazowski and Isabella Coleman, both seniors, added goals late in the contest for Ventura, which received six saves and a pair of steals from junior goalkeeper Gia Osborne.