Briefs: USA junior team starts strong

The USA Women’s Junior National Water Polo Team improved to 3-0 in group play Wednesday by downing New Zealand, 12-5, at the FINA Junior World Championships in Volos, Greece.

Laguna Beach High’s Makenzie Fischer is a member of the U.S. team. The junior-to-be, a utility player and the only high school player on the team, scored twice in Team USA’s tournament-opening, 14-4 victory Monday over Kazakhstan.

Team USA scored an 8-5 win over Italy in its second match Aug. 20.

The three victories gives Team USA a bye into the tournament quarterfinals. The U.S. next will play Friday against the winner of Thursday’s Hungary-Ukraine match.

The Junior World Championships run through Sunday .

— From staff reports

*

USA Men’s Junior Water Polo Team fifth

The USA Men’s Junior National Team completed play Sunday at the FINA Men’s Junior World Championships and defeated Spain, 9-7, in the fifth-place game. The win atoned an 8-6 loss to Spain in an Aug. 12 tournament opener for both teams.

Former Laguna Beach High athlete Nolan McConnell, an attacker now playing at Long Beach St., played for Team USA.

Between its matches against Spain, Team USA beat Slovakia (12-10), Russia (11-9) and Japan (19-6), lost to Italy (10-6) but bounced back to down Australia (13-11) in a 5th- through 8th-place semifinal game.

McConnell scored the opening goal of the Aug. 13 match against Slovakia, a 12-10 Team USA victory in group play. McConnell also scored once during the 19-6 win against Japan as Team USA moved on to a quarterfinal round match against Italy.

Italy took the Junior world title by defeating Croatia, 10-7, in the gold medal game Sunday.

The tournament, which opened Aug. 12, was held at Szombathely, Hungary.

— From staff reports