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Mater Dei’s girls water polo team is making quick progress under Coach Chris Segesman.

Senior attacker Valerie Wraith scored five goals and drew three exclusions and freshman attacker Riley Johnson added four goals as the visiting Monarchs defeated Santa Margarita 11-8 in a Trinity League match Wednesday night.

Johnson went 2 for 2 on penalty shots.

Mater Dei, ranked sixth in Orange County and eighth in Division 1, moved to 2-1 in league and strengthened its case to be selected to the Open Division for the playoffs.

The Monarchs and Eagles had split two matches entering Wednesday.

Mater Dei improved to 6-5 in the pool under Segesman, who returned from a nearly five-year absence to take the reins on an interim basis in late December.

Segesman took his old position in the wake of the ouster of first-year coach Brian McSweeny, who admitted he lied about missing matches at the Villa Park Classic because of illness.

The McSweeny saga arrived just weeks after the removal of Mater Dei boys water polo coach Brian Anderson.

Segesman left Mater Dei after the girls season of 2017-18 to begin a business career but said he felt called to help to the Monarchs. He spent 12 years at Mater Dei, building a water polo powerhouse that produced seven section boys championships.

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It’s been a very interesting girls water polo season, which includes the return of Olympian Chris Segesman coaching at Mater Dei, Monarchs play tonight at Santa Margarita in a big match ⁦@ocvarsity⁩ ⁦@MD_Athletics⁩ pic.twitter.com/zEYSXvmKqr

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 25, 2023

Mater Dei’s girls open the Newport Invitational against Laguna Beach on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

Santa Margarita, ranked eighth in the county, finishes 2-2 in the Trinity League and could be headed to the Division 1 playoffs.