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Fischer MVP in Greece

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The USA Water Polo Women’s Junior National Team won the FINA World Junior Championships Sunday, and Aria Fischer of Laguna Beach played a pivotal part in the team’s title run.

Fischer tied for match-high scoring honors with four goals against Spain in the tournament finale and Team USA captured the gold medal with a 13-10 victory at Volos, Greece.

The four goals gave the utility player 23 for the tournament as Team USA repeated as champion

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Fischer was named tournament MVP.

“It was a great experience because I had played previously with some of the girls on the team before but others, I hadn’t,” the 16 year-old said. “We really came together and bonded. By the end of the tournament, we had great chemistry and we played pretty well all the way through.”

Fischer said Team USA received several challenges during tourney play, each coming in its final four games. The U.S. twice defeated Spain, squeezing out a 17-16 win in an Aug. 19 meeting, before pulling away in Sunday’s final. The U.S. edged Russia, 13-11, in the semifinals, and got past Brazil, 12-9, in the quarterfinals.

Team USA overpowered Mexico (28-0) and Ukraine (23-0) to start the tournament which was played in a 5-on-5 format instead of the traditional 6-on-6 format.

Fischer’s 23 goals scored were a team-high, and tied for fifth-most in the tournament.

“It’s such an honor to receive the [MVP] award because there were so many great players in the tournament, both on the other national teams and on our own team,” she said.

Team USA trained briefly in the U.S. before traveling to Greece. The squad held team training sessions in Athens with Greece and the Netherlands, and scrimmaged both national teams.

“International water polo is so different than national water polo, in that every team, every country, plays a different style,” she said. “It was cool to work on adjusting to every team’s style and how they play. In the first few games we had to adjust our play a bit, and I think training in Athens and scrimmaging against Greece and the Netherlands, really helped prepare us for the tournament.”

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Fischer begins her junior year at Laguna Beach High on Sept. 8.

Girls’ Volleyball

The Laguna Beach High girls’ volleyball team competed last weekend in the preseason Queens of the Court Tournament at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim, and finished in 11th-place in the Elite Division.

The Breakers went 4-3 overall with wins over Aliso Niguel, Citrus Valley, Los Osos and Tesoro. Their losses were to San Juan Hills, St. Lucy’s and Newhall Hart.

“It was a good tournament to evaluate players in different positions,” Laguna Coach Raúl Papaleo said. “We played better as the tournament went on.”

The Breakers begin their 2015 season on the road next Thursday when they play at Santa Margarita. The varsity match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

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