Newport, CdM stay on course

NEWPORT BEACH — The Newport Harbor High girls’ water polo team is in the semifinals of the Holiday Cup tournament.

But that’s not what Coach Bill Barnett wanted the Sailors to think about Tuesday, in their quarterfinal game against Palos Verdes.

Newport Harbor didn’t overlook Palos Verdes, and came out strong en route to a 15-8 victory at Newport Harbor High.

“I was really pleased with the effort of the girls,” Barnett said. “You never know in the second round [how] they’re going to react, if they’re looking ahead to tomorrow or what. [But] they came out firing. Pretty physical game.”

The Sailors (4-2) will play defending tournament champion Dos Pueblos in a semifinal of the tournament today at 10:40 a.m. at Newport Harbor. The championship game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Newport Harbor, the defending CIF champions ranked No. 1 in the preseason CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll, started strong against Palos Verdes (6-3), ranked No. 3 in Division II.

Six different players — Katie Jackson, Mia Butera, Nicolina McCall, McKenna Cottam, Kaleigh Gilchrist and Kate Klippert — scored the Tars’ first six goals of the game.

By the time of Klippert’s strike, on a counterattack midway through the second quarter, Newport Harbor had a 6-2 advantage.

“It worked out,” said Gilchrist, who finished with a game-high five goals and four steals. “We were countering a lot that game, and it opened up a lot of people.”

Klippert scored three goals and Jackson and McCall each scored twice for Newport Harbor. McCall also had three assists.

The pressing Sailors led by as much as 10 goals, at 15-5, before Palos Verdes scored the final three goals of the game. Freshman Monica Vavic, the daughter of USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic, led the Sea Kings with four goals.

“Newport’s tough,” Palos Verdes Coach Chris Murin said. “They’re very aggressive and a good counterattack team.”

Today’s game against Dos Pueblos will be played without Chargers sophomore standout Kiley Neushul, who has a hand injury. But the Chargers have won eight straight since a season-opening loss to Corona del Mar.

“They’re still a really good team,” Gilchrist said. “It’ll be exciting. We lost to them last year in the tournament so we want to come out and beat them this time.”

Newport Harbor opened its tournament with a 17-3 win over Poway, behind four goals each from Butera and Gilchrist.

CHANEY FIRED UP

CORONA DEL MAR — If the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team wants to win the Holiday Cup it might best served to take up the personality of its coach, Aaron Chaney.

He probably wasn’t the greatest example when it came to dealing with referees, but he showed plenty of fight regardless of the score in the Sea Kings’ 9-2 quarterfinal win against Santa Barbara Tuesday at CdM. The Sea Kings will want to remember their coach’s moxie if the slightest ounce of complacency creeps upon its thus-far undefeated season.

With just over two minutes remaining in the game and CdM leading, 7-2, Chaney, a referee himself who worked the Beijing Olympics, shouted at the official to call a player ejection. One of the Dons’ players was physical when guarding senior Elise Molnar.

Chaney continued to ask the referee, “How’s that not an ejection?”

Chaney even left the bench and walked to the referee asking the question. He was assessed a yellow card.

The Sea Kings, who improved to 8-0, didn’t seem too complacent against Santa Barbara, using an aggressive defense to control the game. A 4-1 lead after two quarters proved plenty for CdM with its defense led by senior goalie Kate Baldoni, who is bound for Stanford. She had 10 saves.

CdM also wore down the Dons with its explosive counterattack to advance to today’s semifinals.

The Sea Kings will face Foothill today at 11:45 a.m. at Newport Harbor.

Seniors Kate Berry and Elise Molnar scored two goals each for the Sea Kings in their second win over Santa Barbara this season. They scored a 10-2 win over the Dons Dec. 6. Santa Barbara reached the CIF Southern Section Division II final last year, but is rebuilding with a team that has no seniors.

Corona del Mar, the top seed in its pool and ranked No. 2 in the CIF Division I preseason coaches’ poll, opened the tournament with a 16-1 win against Cathedral Catholic of San Diego. Seniors Heather Van Hiel, Victoria Kennedy and Erica Wheeler scored three goals each to lead the Sea Kings.

— Steve Virgen

Holiday Cup

Quarterfinal

Newport Harbor 15, Palos Verdes 8

SCORE BY QUARTERS

PV – Vavic 4, McBee 2, O’Donnell 2. Saves – Solaro 3.

NH – Gilchrist 5, Klippert 3, McCall 2, Jackson 2, Butera 1, Cottam 1, McAuley 1. Saves – Burger 6.

Quarterfinal

Corona del Mar 9, Santa Barbara 2

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SB – Hendrix 1, Ingalls 1. Saves – Brooks 7.

CdM – Berry 2, Molnar 2, Money 1, Kennedy 1, Van Hiel 1, Kent 1, Kaczmarek 1. Saves – Baldoni 10.