Sailors, CdM on Holiday

Newport Harbor High and Corona del Mar finished first and second, respectively, in the girls’ water polo Holiday Cup last year.

That’s the ideal way to perform, especially when co-hosting a tournament.

Both teams will be looking for similar results at this year’s tournament, which begins today at the two Back Bay schools. Sixteen teams are in the tournament, split into two groups of eight.

“I think it’s a really good tournament for this time of year,” Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett said. “We hope that we get some good games out of it.”

The two-time defending champion Sailors, the No. 2 seed in their group behind Foothill, play host to No. 7 seed Santa Ynez today at 10:40 a.m. at Newport Harbor High.

Corona del Mar, seeded No. 1 in its group, plays host to No. 8 seed Palos Verdes today at 8:30 a.m. at CdM High.

Both schools will host two rounds on both Friday and Saturday, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

The field, as always, is very competitive. Between Foothill, CdM, Newport Harbor and Santa Margarita, four of the top five teams in the CIF Southern Section Division I are participating. Santa Barbara, the No. 2 seed in CdM’s group, is the defending Division IV champion and now the top-ranked team in Division II.

Group A, which plays at Newport Harbor High today, includes the Sailors, Foothill, Poway, Peninsula, Long Beach Wilson, Huntington Beach, Santa Ynez and Beckman.

Group B, which plays at Corona del Mar today, includes the Sea Kings, Santa Barbara, Santa Margarita, Carlsbad, Edison, Sunny Hills, Tustin and Palos Verdes.

Newport Harbor (2-2) enters the tournament with momentum after coming from behind to beat CdM, 6-5, on Dec. 21. Senior Sarah Roberts had three goals in that game, and junior Mimi Bury added two more.

“We hope that we play very well and take that into league,” Barnett said. “It’s the first tournament of the year, so it’s a building block, so to speak.”

For the Sea Kings (3-2), it’s a chance to gain some momentum after that tough loss. Corona del Mar is led by seniors like Cari Levine, Katie Indvik and Leilani Livingston.

“I think this tournament is going to be a test of our will and our strength, as far as where we are right now,” Corona del Mar Coach Aaron Chaney said. “We get to play four games in two days. It’s nice to have game situations; you learn a lot in those four games.”

The Sea Kings’ first-round game is a rematch of last year’s CIF Southern Section Division II semifinal. CdM won that game, 17-3, on its way to its fourth consecutive Division II championship.

Chaney said he expects a tougher game this time around against Palos Verdes.

“They played hard last year,” Chaney said. “They were a really young team and really hungry. I don’t really think they’re a No. 8 seed in our pool.

“I think it’ll be a challenging game.”