Corona del Mar’s Maddie Musselman defends against Laguna Beach in last year’s Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions
Foothill will be bring the No. 1 ranking to Santa Barbara this weekend for the 15th annual girls water polo Tournament of Champions.
The top six ranked teams in Division 1 and the top six in Division 2 are part of powerhouse 16-team field for the two-day event. They’ll play Friday and Saturday at the SBHS pool and the Elings Aquatic Center at Dos Pueblos High.
Foothill replaced Laguna Beach as the top team in the latest CIF-SS Division 1 poll after handing the Breakers their first loss of the season last week, 8-7. Foothill is 9-3 to start the week while Laguna Beach is 9-1.
The TOC annually features future U.S. National team players and Olympians.
Laguna Beach junior Mackenzie Fischer recently played with the U.S. Senior National team at the Holiday Cup Tournament in Orange County.
Find a tournament bracket HERE
Other players in the 16-team tournament who are on U.S. National teams include Maddie Musselman (Corona del Mar), Brianne Daboub (Mater Dei) and Cana Manzella (Foothill).
The tourney’s top four seeds are Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor and Foothill.
All three local Channel League schools are entered. Sixth-ranked Santa Barbara is in Pool C with Newport Harbor, No. 9 Dos Pueblos is in Pool B with Corona del Mar and No. 8 San Marcos is in Pool A with Laguna Beach. Santa Barbara is the defending champion having beaten Newport Harbor 7-5 in last year’s championship.
Tournament play begins at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan 17., with games scheduled every hour through 7:30 p.m.
The semifinals are at 11:10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Santa Barbara High School. The championship is scheduled for 4:35 p.m.
CIF POLLS
DIVISION 1
1. Foothill 2. Laguna Beach 3. Corona del Mar 4. Newport Harbor 5. Los Alamitos 6. Santa Barbara 7. Edison 8. San Marcos 9. Dos Pueblos 10. Irvine
DIVISION 2
1. Santa Margarita 2. Mater Dei 3. Murrieta Valley 4. Agoura 5. Montebello 6. El Toro 7. San Clemente 8. Orange Lutheran 9. Rosary 10. Wilson/Long Beach
