Girls water polo: Sea Kings coast, 16-2

Steve Virgen

CORONA DEL MAR - Sweet moves by Daniela DiGiacomo and Danielle

Carlson, sound defense and some advice borrowed from UCLA coaching legend

John Wooden, this was how the Corona del Mar High girls water polo team

began its quest for the CIF Southern Section Division IV title Thursday.

The Sea Kings (21-7), ranked No. 1 in CIF Division IV, made winning

look easy, cruising to a 16-2 first-round victory over visiting Ocean

View. CdM built an 8-0 first-quarter lead and maintained advantage with

its defense, stuffing the Seahawks (14-12), who went 1 for 7 on player

advantage situations and committed 21 turnovers.

CdM advances to the quarterfinals Saturday and will play Santa Monica,

a 10-8 winner over Sunny Hills, at a site to be determined by a coin flip

today.

The Sea Kings, the Pacific Coast League champions, collected 18 steals

and scored on 13 counterattacks, as the junior duo of DiGiacomo and

Carlson scored four goals each, while senior Hayley Sheetz and juniors

Christina Hewko and Brittney Bowlus added two goals apiece. CdM

sophomores Vivian Liao and Katya Eadington contributed one goal each, and

senior goalies Jessica Wells and Vanessa Hill combined for seven saves.

Carlson led the way with four steals, while senior Jessica Fries,

DiGiacomo and Sheetz recorded two steals each.

“We don’t expect (the CIF Division IV championship),” CdM first-year

coach Aaron Chaney, who provided excerpts from a book written by Wooden

for his team. “We never expect to win and we never expect to lose. I just

tell them to go out and play the best you can. We’ve spent time talking

about the infection of success.”

Wooden said success can be an infection that allows one to live in the

past, thinking that past successes automatically translate into success.

Chaney said the Sea Kings stayed away from the infection.

The Seahawks did not win a game last season, finished third in the

Golden West League and were led by goalie Rachel Eaton, who recorded 13

saves and scored one goal.

Chaney started a different lineup to begin each period and players

like Hill, Liao, Jessica Harkins, Kelli Kline, Keelan Cuyler, Alexa

Miller and Katie Cole earned considerable amounts of playing time and

made the most of it. Hewko sat out the final three periods because she

suffered from flu-like symptoms, Chaney said.

CIF DIVISION IV

First round

Corona del Mar 16, Ocean View 2 Ocean View 0 1 0 1 - 2

Corona del Mar 8 3 4 1 - 16

Ocean View - Berry 1, Eaton 1. Saves - Eaton 13.

Corona del Mar - Carlson 4, DiGiacomo, Hewko 2, Bowlus 2, Sheetz 2,

Liao 1, Eadington 1. Saves - Hill 5, Wells 2.