Laguna Beach girls water polo sprints past Sunny Hills to open CIF playoffs

Elsie Huston scores four goals and Maeve Mani has three as the Breakers advance to the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals against Foothill.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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The Laguna Beach girls water polo team used cross passing, mobility on defense and positioning in transition to defeat Sunny Hills 14-8 in a CIF-SS Division 1 first round match. Laguna Beach, the reigning Division 1 champion, features two returning starters and no starters committed to colleges, yet led arguably the best team in Sunny Hills' history by as many as seven goals in the fourth quarter. Elsie Huston paced Laguna Beach with four goals while Maeve Mani had three goals and five assists.

Why it matters

Laguna Beach, an eight-time section champion that has produced three Olympic gold medalists, is facing another storied girls water polo program in Foothill in the quarterfinals. This matchup features two of the top teams in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

The details

Laguna Beach grabbed the lead for good late in the first period on a counterattack strike by left-hander Maeve Mani. The Breakers built their lead against Sunny Hills on both ends of the pool, with freshman center Resi Leverty firing in a backhanded shot for a goal and junior Elsie Huston drawing three exclusions at 2 meters and scoring two perimeter goals in the fourth period. Laguna Beach's positioning helped earn 11 power-play chances, going 3 for 11 with the extra attacker, while their defense rotated well against Sunny Hills' double-post attack.

  • Laguna Beach grabbed the lead for good late in the first period.
  • Maeve Mani scored a counterattack goal 27 seconds after her first goal to give Laguna Beach a 4-2 lead after the first period.

The players

Maeve Mani

A sophomore who scored two counterattack goals to help Laguna Beach take the lead.

Elsie Huston

A 6-foot junior who guarded center, drew three exclusions at 2 meters and scored two perimeter goals in the fourth period.

Brooke Schneider

A returning starter who sparked Laguna Beach's strong defense in the third quarter with one of her four steals.

Resi Leverty

A freshman center who fired in a backhanded shot for a goal.

Willow Morrell

Sunny Hills' first-year starting goalie who had six saves.

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What they’re saying

“This is just a different neighborhood. And boy, I don't think this is Laguna's best team either. … They're pretty good, though. I was very impressed. They moved well.”

— Keith Nighswonger, Sunny Hills co-coach

“We're figuring it out. This season, from our starting point to now, we've really taken some big steps. I'm glad we're finding the groove together.”

— Katie Teets, Laguna Beach coach

What’s next

Laguna Beach will face Foothill, the No. 2 seed in Division 1, in the quarterfinals on Thursday at El Toro. This will be the first matchup between the two storied girls water polo programs this season.

The takeaway

Laguna Beach, despite having a young team with only two returning starters, has proven it can still compete at a high level in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. The Breakers' understanding of movement, skill, and positioning on both ends of the pool allowed them to defeat a talented Sunny Hills squad and advance to the quarterfinals against another powerhouse program in Foothill.