

SET Black ‘A’ team secures historic three-peat in girls 18-under Platinum Division at USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics
AquaticsBlogCentral Coast SectionFeaturesNewsNewsTickerNorth Coast SectionSac-Joaquin SectionSan Diego SectionSouthern SectionStaffPicksWater Polo July 28, 2025 Erik Boal 0

IRVINE – The path was not a familiar one for the Saddleback El Toro (SET) Black ‘A’ team to reach another girls 18-under Platinum Division championship match at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics.
But the final outcome was an identical one to the past two years for SET Black ‘A’ following an 8-5 victory Sunday against Regency at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center at Irvine High.
Chrissy Flynn, an incoming junior at Leland High, was selected most valuable player after scoring three second-half goals to help SET Black ‘A’ break a 4-4 tie in the third quarter.

Chrissy Flynn of Leland High earned MVP for SET Black ‘A’ in the 18-under Platinum Division final | Erik Boal photo
Allison Cohen of Orange Lutheran scored twice, with El Toro’s Elizabeth Gaetano and Corona del Mar standouts Reagan Weir and Didi Evans all contributing goals for SET Black ‘A’, which held Regency scoreless for 10:35 in the second half to build an 8-4 advantage.
Siena Jumani from Laguna Beach and CJ Sirls of Corona Centennial, who each played one half in goal for SET Black ‘A’, combined for 10 saves.
Paige Segesman of Mater Dei led Regency with three goals and fellow Monarchs athletes Penny Mauser and Campbell Pence also scored, with Sienna Sorensen recording nine saves.
Regency only converted on 1 of 8 opportunities with a 6-on-5 advantage, in addition to missing a 5-meter penalty shot.
SET Black ‘A’ became the first girls club since the tournament began in 1989 to win three consecutive 18-under Platinum Division titles.
It also extended the impressive SET dynasty to six straight seasons of capturing a Junior Olympic championship, including 16-under crowns in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The Junior Olympics were not held in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SET produced a 17-8 victory against Lamorinda of East Bay in last year’s 18-under Platinum Division final at Stanford University.
SET held off Los Alamitos with an 8-7 triumph in 2023 in the 18-under Platinum Division championship match at William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center.
SET Black ‘A’ extended its winning streak at the Junior Olympics to 16 in a row, before suffering an 11-10 loss July 25 against SOCAL Water Polo Foundation at Marina High.
The setback forced SET Black ‘A’ to rebound and win six consecutive matches in order to achieve the three-peat, including a come-from-behind 10-9 semifinal triumph Sunday against SOCAL at Chapman University in Orange, contributing to a 22-1 overall record in 18-under competition at the Junior Olympics during its three-year reign.

SET Black ‘A’ became the first girls team to win three straight 18-under Platinum Division titles since the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics began in 1989 | Erik Boal photo
Sloane Paulson of JSerra and Evans helped SET Black ‘A’ rally from a 9-8 deficit, each scoring goals in the final 2:15 to earn a measure of revenge against SOCAL.
Weir had four goals, Evans added two goals, with Flynn, Gaetano, Paulson and Kylie Williams of Highland Park in Texas all scoring for SET Black ‘A’. Jumani and Sirls combined for six saves.
Ashley Kwan, Chloe Patist and Victoria Cordero of Foothill High all scored twice for SOCAL, with Mater Dei athletes EJ Hourigan and Jessica Reagan combining for the other three goals in the semifinal setback.
Emma Perrigo of Foothill recorded 10 saves and added four steals for SOCAL.
Regency achieved a 10-8 semifinal victory Sunday against Lamorinda, with Mauser producing three goals and fellow Mater Dei athletes Maggie Ryan, Kirra Pantaleon and Segesman all scoring twice and another Monarchs standout Drew Shelton adding a goal.
Lamorinda, which led 3-2 in the first quarter, received two goals each from Carondelet’s Josephine Haast, as well as Miramonte teammates Audrina Kang and Roxie Tarantino.
SOCAL rebounded with an 11-5 triumph against Lamorinda in the third-place match, led by four goals by Kwan and three goals apiece from Hourigan and Patist.
Beatrice Hearey from Miramonte and Lily Palma of Las Lomas both scored twice for Lamorinda.
Santa Barbara 805 ‘A’ secured a 13-7 victory against Seaside in the fifth-place match at Long Beach City College.
Charlotte Raisin had five goals, with San Marcos teammates Marina Brown and Bethany King adding three goals and scoring twice, respectively, for Santa Barbara 805 ‘A’, which built a 7-3 lead following the first quarter.
Amy Fritz from Oceanside and Kendra Ammon of Carlsbad both scored three goals apiece for Seaside.
Legacy relied on 14 saves and four steals from recent Orange Lutheran graduate Kyla Pranajaya in a 7-5 triumph against Newport Beach in the seventh-place match at Long Beach City College.
It marked the third significant victory for Orange Lutheran athletes this year at Long Beach City College, including winning the 18-under title July 13 at the Quiksilver International Cup with a 9-3 triumph against San Diego Shores, as well as capturing the Southern California Division 1 regional championship March 1 with a 10-6 win over Mater Dei.

From left, Edgar Villa, Addison Wedding, Michelle Urkov, Kate Sloman, Kyla Pranajaya, CiCi DeLuca and Brenda Villa after Legacy captured seventh place in the 18-under Platinum Division at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics | Photo courtesy of Brenda Villa
Eve Webb and Estelle Karaba both scored twice, with fellow Orange Lutheran standouts Juliana Palazzolo, Kate Sloman and Michelle Urkov also adding goals against Newport Beach for Legacy, which rebounded from a 12-8 loss July 26 against Regency.
Caitlin Stayt scored twice, with Lydia Soderberg and Sunny Brown combining for 10 saves for Newport Beach.
Pranajaya not only blocked a 5-meter penalty shot, but also scored a goal for Legacy, with Long Beach Wilson’s CiCi DeLuca contributing two goals in the setback against Regency.
Pantaleon scored five goals, with Mater Dei teammates Delaney Hook and Pence both adding two goals apiece for Regency.

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