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From the pregame performance of Corona del Mar’s drumline to the chanting and sign-toting students in the stands, Saturday night’s boys water polo match between the host Sea Kings and Newport Harbor was as much a celebration of the sport as a duel of county top-10 teams.

Second-ranked Corona del Mar won, 9-7, behind four goals by Ashton Jajonie and three by Garrett Spruth, but all of the players could be considered winners for getting the chance to play in a passionate atmosphere.

“I’m happy about tonight because it was a beautiful night for the sport of water polo,” Newport Harbor interim coach Marco Palazzo said. “It was so cute to see all the kids from CdM and Newport Beach water polo cheering.”

Jajonie praised Corona del Mar’s student cheering section, nicknamed the “Hype Squad.”

“They brought it,” the senior said. “It was intense.”

Corona del Mar coach Barry O’Dea stressed the feeling of community, especially within his program.

“I’m super-proud of our team because we are our own community,” he said. “There is no one outside our (attendance) boundaries playing on CdM. … We’re home-grown and that’s a big point for us this year and going forward. We got 86, 87 kids in the program.” …

Eighth-ranked Newport Harbor plays host Wednesday to No. 5 Huntington Beach in the teams’ Sunset League opener at 5 p.m.

The Sailors and Corona del Mar also will play Friday and Saturday in the S & R Sport Southern California Water Polo Tournament at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine. The tournament includes reigning CIF Division 1 champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City. The final is Saturday at 8:05 p.m. …

Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 in the county, plays Long Beach Wilson at the temporary pool at Belmont Plaza on Tuesday.

– DAN ALBANO

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

This will be an interesting week for the Mater Dei girls volleyball team. The Monarchs play three league matches and they will compete in the California Challenge on Friday and Saturday.

Also, with the 30-day transfer sitout period ending, the Monarchs will have opposite Jacqueline Wolfe available. And Alyse Ford will also be rejoining them.

Last week, the CIF reduced the number of games that Ford must sit out after she was declared ineligible in mid-September. Ford will return during the California Challenge. …

One result that might have been missed last week: Newport Harbor rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Los Alamitos in five sets in the Sunset Leauge opener for both teams. The Sailors followed that up with a seventh-place finish at the Mother McAuley Tournament. …

In matches to watch for this week:

No. 6 Mater Dei at No. 2 Santa Margarita, Tuesday: The teams met in the semifinals of the Dave Mohs Tournament last month, with the Monarchs winning in two sets.

No. 8 Huntington Beach at No. 9 Newport Harbor, Thursday: It might sound like a cliche, but there aren’t any east nights in the Sunset League.

– DAMIAN CALHOUN

GIRLS TENNIS

The San Clemente girls tennis team went 3-0 last week with wins over Aliso Niguel, 14-4, and O.C. top-10 opponents Laguna Beach, 10-8, and Dana Hills, 11-7. Over the past two weeks, the Tritons have gone from unranked to the No. 6 in the county.

One of the major reasons behind the Tritons’ recent success has been the play of its stellar stable of freshmen, which includes Sammy Nielson, Lindsay Hung and Jasmine Asafavieh. …

Match to watch for this week:

No. 5 Tesoro at San Clemente, Thursday: The Titans edged the Tritons, 10-8, two weeks ago to take early control of the South Coast standings, so the teams’ second meeting could determine the league championship.

– KENNY CONNOLLY

GIRLS GOLF

The Beckman girls golf team continues to lower the lower record for its best nine-hole score.

The most recent time it happened was Sept. 29 at Oak Creek Golf Club when Beckman finished 3-under-par as a team in beating Northwood, 177-218. The 177 topped the 183 the Patriots posted a week earlier.

Coach Penn Bushong says he has never had a team this good during his time at Beckman. That includes a stint when Kaitlin Park, a 2011 Rolex Junior All-American who is now playing for Northwestern, was in the lineup.

Chae Lim Lee holed fived birdies and medaled with a 4-under-par 32 in the 177 round. Cameron Lee added three birdies and a 2-under 34. All five players who figured into the final score broke 40, as Priscilla Ki posted an even-par 36 and Marisa Bhanubandh and Hannah Lee fired a 37 and 38.

– DAMIAN DOTTORE

CROSS COUNTRY

In a battle of Orange County powerhouses, No. 1 Brea Olinda beat out No. 2 Canyon, 25-30, last week in the Crestview League Preview meet at Irvine Regional Park. Both teams had five of the first 10 finishers in the cluster race.

Brea Olinda junior Austin Tamagno recorded the best time (14:57) on the 3-mile course. Canyon’s Wesley Walsh came in second, three seconds behind Tamagno.

On the girls side, Canyon pulled off a surprise by beating out No. 7 Esperanza, 40-41. Brooke Caravello’s first-place finish (18:00) led the way for the Comanches.

– ANDREW TURNER, Contributing writer

COMMITMENTS

Swimmers Daniela Georges of Woodbridge and Ken Takahashi of University have committed to Arizona and Cal, respectively, the seniors’ club team, Aquazot, announced on Twitter.

– DAN ALBANO