Briefly In Sports

Local club team wins division crown

The Huntington Beach Water Polo Club 18-and-Under girls’ “Blue” team won its division at the Southern Pacific Zone Qualification tournament Sunday.

The event is a qualifying tournament for the upcoming 2011 Junior Olympics Water Polo Tournament.

Huntington Beach was the No. 1-seed in the tournament, which is considered to be the strongest and most competitive zone in the country. The team marched through the first two days of the tournament, beating Newport Water Polo Foundation and Corona del Mar on Friday and Saturday. Huntington faced SoCal (Tustin), last year’s runner-up at the Juniors Olympics tournament, in Sunday’s semifinals and scored a 9-7 victory.

The team’s biggest test of the tournament came in Sunday’s final against Chino Hills (CHAWP). Huntington trailed, 4-1, in the first quarter but came back and won the game on a shot from mid-pool by Eike Daube that beat the buzzer and resulted in an 11-10 win. Huntington was up, 10-9, when CHAWP scored the tying goal with three seconds left. Huntington was forced to take a desperation shot and Daube (Long Beach Wilson High) skipped a shot in the high corner of the goal at the buzzer to give her team the victory.

In the girls’ 16U division, Huntington’s “Blue” team earned a third-place finish to secure a spot in the 2011 Junior Olympics tournament. The club’s 16- and 18-U “Orange” teams both placed eighth in the qualifying tournament.

The Huntington Beach 18U girls’ “Blue” team is: Morgan Klingfus (La Habra High, Sr.); Marisa Young (Fountain Valley High, Sr.); Kayla Robert (Fountain Valley High, Jr.); Jessie Holechek (Laguna Beach High, Sr.); Yoshi Andersen (Laguna Beach High, Jr.); Eike Daube (Long Beach Wilson High, Sr.); Chris Baker (Long Beach Wilson, Sr.); Erica Beebe (Long Beach Wilson, Sr.); Sarah Wilkey (Newport Harbor, Sr.); Katie Kammer (Troy, Sr.); Holly Smith (Troy, Jr.); Amanda Solis (Sunny Hills, Jr.); Alys Williams (Edison, Jr.) and Nicole Stansfield (Foothill, Soph.).

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Area travel ball team earns ASA Nationals bid

USA Athletics 2000 (Huntington Beach) played in the Amateur Softball Assn. State Championships over Memorial Day weekend in Chula Vista. USA Athletics finished in 19th place in the tournament and qualified for the ASA Nationals in Johnson City, Tenn., Aug/ 1-8.

The USA Athletics roster is: Caitlyn Koenig, Ashley Papacosta, Raven Sargent, Katherine Kakauske, Charisma Romero, Arianna Ortiz, Nia Carter, Katie Gould, Emily Gray, Marlene Friedman, Serah Villegas and Jaelyn Operana. The team is managed by Jerry Friedman and coaches are Eric Papacosta and Paul Kakauske.