HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ WATER POLO PREVIEW:

Like many recent college graduates, Christina Hewko is now living at home in an attempt to save some cash.

But “home” to the recent Stanford graduate could just as easily be described as the pool at Corona del Mar High. It was there that Hewko, 22, refined her skills as a two-meter player for the Sea Kings from 1999 through 2003.

She went on to Stanford, where Hewko was a four-time All-American and twice a first-team All-American, including when she scored 38 goals as a senior in 2007. Her teams reached at least the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament every year.

That’s the kind of experience Hewko is bringing back to Corona del Mar this year, as a girls’ assistant to Aaron Chaney and also CdM’s frosh-soph coach.

“It’s definitely a plus having Christina,” Chaney said. “She’s super-positive, super-energetic. These girls were all in junior high when she was playing for CdM. They look up to her.”

Hewko said she has also been coaching the CdM junior girls’ 14-and-under club team one night a week.

“Water polo is such a young, growing sport, and it had such a huge impact on my life,” Hewko said. “To give back to the sport at any time, I love to do that. I also played with Coach Ted [Bandaruk of the CdM junior program]. That’s how I started with water polo. It’s just fun going back to different stages where I was once. I definitely really enjoy it.”

The timing worked out just right for Hewko, the 2003 CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year who helped the Sea Kings to the Division IV title in 2002 and the Division II crown in 2003. She was planning to be a substitute teacher in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, getting her substitute teaching credential over the summer and taking the CBEST test.

She just started with the substitute teaching on Dec. 7, when she was a substitute at — where else? — CdM.

“I called the sub-finder, and they had a job open at CdM,” Hewko said. “I walked over and they had me do PE all day. It was funny, because I had a few of the water polo girls in my classes.”

But Hewko was happy to take the water polo job as well at CdM. Kyle Gorham, Chaney’s assistant for the past two years, became the women’s assistant at Long Beach State.

“Water polo’s before school, and I can sub during the day and coach in the afternoons,” Hewko said. “It just worked out perfectly. It was a great opportunity. I love giving back to the program. I’ve known some of these girls for awhile, and it’s fun being with them and being back at the school.”

Hewko also has the opportunity to work with the Sea Kings’ two-meter players in morning workouts. One of them, Victoria Kennedy, said she appreciates the expertise Hewko brings to the table. Elise Molnar, Leslee Kaczmarek and Victoria Kent have also learned from her position-specific instruction.

“She’s a great coach because she’s very caring,” Kennedy said. “I think she’s a great role model. She represents what we can accomplish if we work hard enough, because she works extremely hard in everything she does.”

Hewko also just likes helping people. It’s why she’s planning a six-month trip to South America, set to begin in February. Hewko, who graduated from Stanford with a degree in international relations, plans to do volunteer work in Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil.

She will be visiting orphanages and shelters, as well as teaching English. The opportunity to travel abroad is one Hewko said she has always wanted, but was never able to swing in college because of her busy water polo schedule.

Hewko said she is considering studying for a master’s degree in international development once she completes the trip.

“I’m really interested in poverty alleviation, helping bring infrastructure to these rural areas that don’t get running water or sanitary water,” Hewko said. “I really want to help bring in good things for them. I don’t want to say, you know, ‘This is the West, you have to do this,’ but some of those people want those utilities. I want to work for positive change.”

Hewko was a positive force at Stanford but her younger sister Camille, who also starred for CdM at two meters through 2006, is now at rival Cal. In April, the two sisters got to play against each other in the Bay Area rivals’ “Big Splash” showdown.

“It happened to coincide with a family reunion for my mom’s side of the family, also in Northern California,” Christina Hewko said. “We had a little family cheering section. My sister and I, we got to guard each other a few times.

“My whole four years at Stanford, we never lost to Cal,” she added with a grin.

But now, Hewko is working hard to make her old high school team rack up the wins. It’s a way for her to give back in the most tangible way possible.

“All those little steps along the way, they get you there,” Hewko said. “Ted was the one who invited me to play water polo, and I got started when I was 9. Every time I’m out here, I’m like, ‘I was just one of these girls.’ It just reminds me of myself.

“I know what they’re going through. I can totally relate.”

CORONA DEL MAR

Coach: Aaron Chaney (seventh year)

2006 record: 24-10, won Pacific Coast League; lost in CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal.

Returning starters: Heather Van Hiel (Sr.).

Key newcomers: Victoria Kennedy (Jr.), Elise Molnar (Jr.), Carissa Dice (Sr.), Margot Money (So.), Kate Berry (Jr.), Victoria Kent (So.).

Key dates: at Newport Harbor, Dec. 21; at Newport/CdM Holiday Cup, Dec. 28-29; at Santa Barbara Tournament, Jan. 11-12; vs. Foothill, Jan. 19 at Beckman; at Irvine, Jan. 23; home vs. Montebello, Jan. 26; at Irvine SoCal Invitational, Jan. 31-Feb. 2.

Outlook: Nine seniors graduated from a year ago, including league MVP Katie Indvik, now at USC. Van Hiel and, to a lesser extent, junior goalie Kate Baldoni, were the only players who got significant varsity playing time.

But Chaney said he is happy with his hand-working team. Baldoni is an emerging star in goal who is on the U.S. national cadet training team. Kennedy and Molnar can both play two meters, and Molnar is also strong in two-meter defense.

Like Van Hiel, senior co-captains Carissa Dice and Corinne Treadaway are known for their work ethic. Neither Dice nor Treadaway played junior polo before high school yet both should have prominent roles, which Chaney said is rare.

“I knew [this year] was going to be challenging,” Chaney said. “But they’ve been easy to work with and real coach-able. It’s just a really positive group. That’s what coaching’s all about. It’s about having a bunch of kids who want to work hard and do the best they can.”

COSTA MESA

Coach: Tim Postiff (sixth year)

2006 record: 13-13, second in Orange Coast League; lost in CIF Southern Section Division II first round.

Returning starters: Talhia Nuñez (Sr.), Patricia Marty (Sr.), Ashley Rendon (Jr.), Briana Williams (Jr.).

Key newcomers: Danielle Bowen (So.), Hannah Speer (So.), Liz Simpson (Jr.), Kayci Decker (So.).

Key dates: vs. Sage Hill, Jan. 16 at CdM; at Laguna Beach, Jan. 30; home vs. Estancia, Feb. 6.

Outlook: The Mustangs have a fairly young team, starting two seniors, three juniors and two sophomores. Nuñez, a returning All-Newport Mesa selection, led last year’s team with 66 goals and can play both driver and set.

Marty, Mesa’s primary defender, excels at getting the team out on its counterattack and in six-on-five situations. Bowen, who was a frosh-soph goalie a year ago, takes over for two-year starter Brittany Mucha.

Costa Mesa has made the playoffs in each of Postiff’s five years as coach, and the Mustangs are going for No. 6 this season. One change is that Orange Coast League teams will face each other just once in league this year, not twice.

“Overall, we have great team speed,” Postiff said. “Defensively, we’ve played well. Offensively, they’re still learning.”

ESTANCIA

Coach: Jennifer Perry (first year)

2006 record: 12-13, fourth in Orange Coast League

Returning starters: Meagan Kunert (Sr.), Amber Peters (Jr.), Emily Kaplan (Jr.)

Key newcomers: Haley Kunert (Fr.), Michelle Parsons (Jr.), Tyler Andrews (Jr.), Upeka Keenawinna (Jr.), Kylie Carpenter (Fr.).

Key dates: at Laguna Beach, Jan. 23; home vs. Sage Hill, Jan. 30; at Costa Mesa, Feb. 6.

Outlook: Melissa Buchmann, a 2007 graduate, netted 101 goals last season. Senior Shea Kopp, a second-team all-league pick a year ago, decided not to play polo this year so she could concentrate on swimming.

But Estancia remains extremely optimistic as sisters Meagan and Haley Kunert combine as two of the Eagles’ top scoring threats, along with junior Amber Peters. Meagan Kunert was also a second-team all-league selection last year, and Emily Kaplan returns in goal.

First-year coach Jennifer Perry said Estancia, which was winless last year in league but lost to Costa Mesa and Sage Hill by a single goal, can get better.

“The girls have already shown that they really want it this year,” Perry said. “I’m really excited. I like how hard they’re working.”

NEWPORT HARBOR

Coach: Bill Barnett (11th year)

2006 record: 23-11, won Sunset League; lost in CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal.

Returning starters: Mimi Bury (Sr.), Morgan Vickers (Sr.), Jessica Robinson (Sr.).

Key newcomers: Erin Reid (Sr.), Nina McCall (Jr.), Amanda Simons (Sr.), Elizabeth Wheeler (Sr.), Kimmy Morrison (Sr.), Mia Butera (Jr.), Adrienne Taylor (Sr.).

Key dates: home vs. Corona del Mar, Dec. 21; at Newport/CdM Holiday Cup Tournament, Dec. 28-29; home vs. Montebello, Jan. 5; at Santa Barbara Tournament, Jan. 11-12; home vs. Los Alamitos, Jan. 16; at Irvine SoCal Invitational, Jan. 31-Feb. 2.

Outlook: The Sailors appear to be the team to beat in Division I, especially after beating defending CIF champion Foothill, 5-2, on Dec. 11. The two teams have dominated the division since 1999, with the Knights winning CIF six titles and Newport three.

Newport Harbor has a force in two meters with Stanford-bound Bury, who will replace Newport-Mesa Player of the Year Sarah Roberts, now at Michigan. Barnett said Newport Harbor will also rotate in a number of other players to the position, including McCall, Kate Klippert, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Kimmy Morrison and Robinson.

The Sailors also have an experienced goalie in Vickers and a powerful left-hander in Robinson, headed to Cal. Reid, a transfer from Laguna Beach, is also a lefty, and Barnett called Rosary transfer McCall “very offensive-minded.”

Seniors Amanda Simons and Elizabeth “Curly” Wheeler are strong defenders, and Morrison has one of the hardest shots on the team. Sophomores Klippert and Gilchrist also have all-around games, and should play large roles on the otherwise-senior-dominated team

“A lot of girls have a lot of talent,” Barnett said. “This team has a lot of depth.”

SAGE HILL

Coach: Tom Norton (second year)

2006 record: 13-7, third in Orange Coast League; lost second-place playoff game to Costa Mesa.

Returning starters: Dylan Conroy (Jr.), Sarah Wesley (Sr.), Cameron Cline (Jr.), Jordan Smith-Newman (Jr.), Kelly Carpenter (Jr.), Nancy Benner (Jr.).

Key newcomers: Madison Swayne (Fr.), Lyric Clubb (Jr.).

Key dates: vs. Costa Mesa, Jan. 16 at CdM; at Estancia, Jan. 30; vs. Laguna Beach, Feb. 6 at CdM.

Outlook: Every starter but one returns from last season (Anna Carpenter graduated). Wesley, the only senior, is a key driver.

Conroy, a returning All-Newport Mesa honoree, had 77 steals and 45 goals last year. She, along with goalie Smith-Newman, are three-year varsity starters.

Swayne has club experience and will step into a starting spot, Norton said.

Depth may be a problem with just one bench player, which has led to two forfeits already.

“I think we have a good chance of getting second in league behind Laguna Beach,” said Norton, who has done it with Sage Hill’s boys two years running. “That’s obviously what we’re working toward.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.