|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Tri-Valley Invitational Girls’ Water Polo Tournament was held last Friday and Saturday and brought together some of the top teams from the North Coast and Central Coast sections.
The event, which was hosted by Amador Valley, Foothill and Granada, goes a long way toward determining seeds for the upcoming NCS playoffs.
And this year it was Amador who got the best of the weekend by winning the tournament.
The Dons grabbed the title by taking out Redwood 8-6 in the finals. Amador trailed 4-3 at the half but rallied for three unanswered goals in the third to take a lead it would not relinquish.
Evelyn McLaughlin, much as she would throughout the tournament, led the way with four goals. Kate Harris had three goals, and Paige Reynolds had a single tally.
Lily Keegan had three assists and McLaughlin added a pair, with Kate Harris and Susan Swyers getting one each. Erin Brown had 15 saves in the goal.
In the semifinals, the Dons beat Monte Vista 13-6.
McLaughlin had five goals, with Harris adding four scores. Swyers had three goals and Regan Braga had one. Braga did add four assists, with McLaughlin adding three.
Brown made 12 saves during her time in the goal, with Katherine Nally adding three saves.
The tournament started off strong for Amador with a 16-0 win over Alameda. McLaughlin led the onslaught with seven goals, Harris had four, and Swyers three to lead the way. Nally and Brown got some time as field players, and each got a goal.
In the goal, Brown had nine saves and Nally notched two.
The second game of the weekend saw Amador beat Terra Linda 12-7. McLaughlin had six goals, with Braga getting four and Reynolds two. Lily Keegan and Harris had three assists each. Brown had a pair of assists to go with her 11 saves, with Nally making four.
Foothill volleyball
The Falcons scored another pair of league wins to head into the final week of the season that will determine the No. 1 seed out of the Valley Division for the playoffs.
Foothill started the week winning over Livermore by a 25-7, 25-10, 25-22 final.
The highlights came from Maddy Snodgress (13 digs, 7 kills, 4 aces), Ema Okuhara (9 kills, 4 aces) and Ema Vukojevic (4 kills, 1 ace).
The Falcons closed the week with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-15 win over Granada. The top players were Katie Salonga (34 assists, 7 aces), Paige Bennett (21 kills, 6 digs) and Lulu Hoenninger (4 kills, 3 blocks).
The week left Foothill 24-6 overall, and 9-2 in EBAL play.
Tri-Valley Triton Aquatics
Tri-Valley Triton Water Polo became Triton Aquatics effective Oct. 1. The club is now a comprehensive youth aquatics club offering year-round water polo and swimming training and competition.
The Winter Water Polo Season begins on Nov. 14 and ends on Feb. 10, 2023. Winter registration is now open for ages U12-U18 boys.
Detailed information and registration forms can be found at tritonaquatics.org. Triton Aquatics is looking to build on its summer season success when two teams qualified to participate in the Junior Olympics — the largest and most prestigious youth water polo tournament in the United States.
While the club’s name has changed, the commitment to developing individual athletic skills and cultivating leadership, sportsmanship, integrity and discipline to achieve the personal and aquatics goal is unchanged. The training program has been designed to give each athlete the flexibility to participate in water polo, swimming or both. Every aspect of the training has been carefully structured to ensure that each athlete receives individual attention to maximize athletic skills and have a positive team experience.
The program now operates year-round. The Triton Aquatics coaching staff includes former USA National Team members, NCAA National Champions, college and high school All-Americans, and current local varsity high school coaches.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
