Sportstars
Birmingham wins fifth L.A. City Section girls water polo title, first in Open Division by defeating reigning champion Palisades; Granada Hills grabs first Division 1 crown
Although Palisades had already won three L.A. City Section girls water polo championships, including the inaugural Open Division crown last year, returning to the final this season might be recognized as the most inspiring achievement in Dolphins’ program history. After having their season interrupted for several weeks as a... Read more
Gabby Alexson scores golden goal in second sudden-death overtime period to lead Newport Harbor back to CIF-Southern Section Open Division final following 12-11 pool-play victory against Orange Lutheran
COSTA MESA – Before the final CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo pool-play match even reached the opening sprint Tuesday night, fans of both Newport Harbor and Orange Lutheran were standing and cheering in the Orange Coast College bleachers upon learning just moments earlier that Oaks Christian had... Read more
Oaks Christian girls water polo team completes inspiring comeback to knock off top-seeded Mater Dei, advance to CIF-Southern Section Open Division final
SANTA ANA – Mia Fabros wasn’t going to be denied. Makena Bygrave didn’t back down from the challenge. Nicole O’Neill couldn’t pass up the opportunity. And Alex Stoddard wouldn’t let one of the most impressive rallies in CIF-Southern Section girls water polo playoff history by Oaks Christian be upstaged... Read more
Phoebe Demoss scores nine goals for San Clemente in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 girls water polo semifinal win over Alta Loma; Siena Jumani has 13 saves to lift Laguna Beach past Dos Pueblos, into another final
Phoebe Demoss produced one of the most impressive performances in CIF-Southern Section girls water polo playoff history Tuesday, scoring nine goals to lift San Clemente to an 11-7 victory in the Division 1 semifinals against Alta Loma at Capistrano Valley High in Mission Viejo. Demoss, a UC Santa Barbara-bound... Read more
Alta Loma girls water polo team ends unbeaten run of top-seeded Palos Verdes, advances to third straight CIF-Southern Section semifinal, first in Division 1
PALOS VERDES – Carly Berzins knows there is a significant difference between postseason participation and championship experience, and the visiting Alta Loma girls water polo team benefited from that battle-tested background Wednesday against top-seeded Palos Verdes in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals. Berzins, a junior who has earned... Read more
Orange Lutheran girls water polo team finds another gear against Long Beach Wilson in Open Division pool-play victory; Mater Dei also wins
ORANGE – Four first-quarter goals by Allison Cohen, including a pair of 5-meter penalty shots, weren’t enough for Orange Lutheran to deliver an early knockout punch Wednesday night against Long Beach Wilson in their CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo showdown. So, the Lancers decided to unleash their... Read more
Newport Harbor girls water polo team uses five-goal run in CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool-play match to defeat Foothill for fifth time this season
NEWPORT BEACH – Santa Ana Foothill had explored multiple strategies, experimented with different lineups and exhausted every defensive resource in four regular-season matchups against Newport Harbor, only to come up empty against the Sailors in every showdown. But the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo playoffs provided the... Read more
The Bishop’s School girls water polo team aiming for seventh straight CIF-San Diego Section Open Division crown
The Bishop’s School is looking to continue one of the most impressive athletic dynasties in CIF-San Diego Section history, earning the top seed again in the eight-team Open Division girls water polo playoffs. All Open Division matches are at the Coggan Aquatic Complex in La Jolla, with the opening... Read more
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... Read more
Jailynn Robinson helps Orange Lutheran girls water polo team pull away from Foothill in CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoff opener
COSTA MESA – Different year, new playoff format, same exceptional effort from Jailynn Robinson. Although Orange Lutheran begin its pursuit of a third consecutive CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo title competing Thursday night in a pool-play match against Santa Ana Foothill instead of its usual single-elimination contest... Read more
Newport Harbor girls water polo team steps up on defense in second half to secure CIF-Southern Section Open Division victory against Long Beach Wilson
NEWPORT BEACH – Even with the new pool-play format this season in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo playoffs, Newport Harbor is still treating every match as if it is a single-elimination contest, requiring the third-seeded Sailors to string together four consecutive victories in order to capture... Read more
Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran girls water polo teams earn top two seeds in Southern Section Open Division playoffs
Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran received the top two seeds in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo playoffs, which will be contested for the first time this season using a pool-play format for the eight-team competition, following a single-elimination bracket the past three years. Pool-play matches are... Read more