Dries, USA earn bronze

Recent Laguna Beach High graduate Annika Dries helped lead the United States junior women’s national team to a third-place finish at the FINA Junior Women’s Water Polo World Championships, completed Saturday in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

The United States was undefeated until suffering a 12-11 shootout loss to the Netherlands in the semifinals Aug. 14. But Team USA rebounded with an 11-8 victory over Hungary in the bronze-medal match.

Dries, who scored 13 goals in the tournament, was one of two Americans named to the all-tournament team. However, she didn’t play in the bronze-medal match after suffering a slight concussion in the semifinal loss.

Dries, the center who helped the senior national team earn first place at the FINA World League Super Final earlier this summer, is headed to Stanford.

This year marks the first time the United States has medaled at the World League, World Championships and Junior World Championships in the same year.