2009-10 girls water polo season preview

There's no doubt which Orange County league looks to be strongest in girls water polo this season.

Just check out the Sunset League.

Newport Harbor, Los Alamitos and Edison are ranked in the top-five in the county preseason poll while Fountain Valley received top-10 consideration.

"We have to be the best league in California," Los Alamitos coach Dave Carlson said.

Newport Harbor is a senior-dominated team that reached the CIF-SS Division I semifinals last season. The Sailors return arguably the best tandem of field players in the county in USC signee Kaleigh Gilchrist and Cal-bound Kate Klippert.

Newport Harbor also captured the California state high school tournament in mid-July.

Los Alamitos mixes in more youth but also is loaded. Stanford-bound Kaley Dodson leads a top-four that includes her sister, Cory, Rachel Fattal and goalie Savanna Smith. The Griffins also have been bolstered by the return of Dari Watkins, who didn't play last season because on injury and swimming.

Edison is on the rise with the return of UC Irvine-bound Danielle Warde at 2 meters and San Diego State-signee Clair Babinski in the goal.

But like the rest of Southern California, the Sunset League is chasing reigning Division I champion Dos Pueblos of Goleta. Dos Pueblos returns the bulk of its championship team, including U.S. junior team standouts Kiley Neushul and UCLA-bound goalie Sami Hill.

Los Alamitos scrimmaged at Dos Pueblos last week. "They're definitely a little better than us right now," Carlson said. "We were competing."

USA Water Polo Hall of Fame member Stan Sprague is the new coach at Brea Olinda.

Sprague, 67, is a well-known goalie coach. The Fullerton High and Fullerton College product worked with the men's national team from 1992-1996. He also has been an assistant at Foothill, Long Beach Wilson and Long Beach State. In the 1980s, he coached the boys at Canyon.

Last girls season, the Anaheim resident was an assistant at Carlsbad. In 2008, he was an interim boys coach at Chaparral, where his grandson, Trevor Sprague, played.

"I've got the time," Sprague said of coaching at Brea Olinda. "I enjoy it. It's a fun sport. I thought, 'Why not?' "

In other coaching news, former Villa Park coach Brent Danna is the new girls coach at Fountain Valley, replacing Jeff Russ. Danna was a student teacher at Villa Park. Russ resigned in the fall but reapplied for his position, which went to Danna. ... John Carcich has returned to coaching Villa Park's girls. ... Ryan Mock is the new coach at Dana Hills.

Mater Dei standout sophomore defender Claire McKinnon has a broken wrist, Monarchs coach Chris Segesman said. ... Corona del Mar will play host to the U.S. women's national team and the Holiday Cup, Dec. 9-13. The tournament will include reigning Olympic champion Netherlands, Canada, Russia, Italy and Australia.