Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

ALL-COUNTY GIRLS WATER POLO TEAM 2023-24

Orange Lutheran’s water polo player Jailynn Robinson pictured at the pool at Santiago Canyon College in Orange on Monday, March 11, 2024 is the Orange County Register’s player of the year. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jailynn Robinson, Orange Lutheran, Junior

Orange Lutheran’s girls water polo team received contributions from several players on its way to a historic season.

The Lancers’ roster was full of well-rounded competitors who followed coach Brenda Villa’s “team first mentality.”

But one player consistently surfaced in the most important games as a dynamic performer.

Jailynn Robinson, in her first full season on varsity, emerged as a game-changer and is The Register’s Orange County player of the year.

“She was great,” Villa said. “(Her contributions) all came in different moments.”

Robinson delivered several of her best performances in the biggest matches. The junior utility player helped preserve Orange Lutheran’s undefeated record and contributed to the team’s CIF-SS Open Division and CIF SoCal Division I Regional championships.

The Lancers (31-0) became the first Orange County squad to finish undefeated since Laguna Beach in 2016-17.

Robinson’s coming out party arrived shortly after the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

In a nonleague match against Foothill on Jan. 19, she scored the final two goals as Orange Lutheran rallied for a 12-11 victory. Of the Lancers’ three matches against the Knights, this was arguably the toughest.

The following week, Robinson erupted for six goals goals in a 9-5 victory against Mater Dei that sealed the Trinity League title and left little doubt that Orange Lutheran would be the No. 1 seed for the section playoffs.

In the Lancers sprint to a second consecutive Open Division title, Robinson led the team in scoring, including another stellar effort against Mater Dei. In the championship match, she scored five goals on six shots to help her team collect a 12-4 victory.

But Robinson was much more than just a strong-armed shooter. She flourished in Orange Lutheran’s vaunted counterattack, showing the ability to play fast, improvise, draw exclusions and post up at center.

She sparked numerous counterattacks with steals.

In the Open Division final, she recorded three steals and an assist in posting the highest plus-minus rating with a plus-8.8 by the innovative 68Sports scoring system.

“She just can do everything,” Villa said of Robinson, who was selected Trinity League MVP and Open Division player of the year.

Robinson has progressed quickly.

With the support of her parents Matthew and Vanessa, she arrived at Orange Lutheran in September of 2022 after moving from Dallas, Texas. Her high school in Texas didn’t have a girls water polo team but she played club.

As a sophomore, Robinson split time between the Lancers’ varsity and junior varsity teams.

“I knew that I needed to come out to California to get the best competition and play with the best,” she said. “It definitely took a lot of adjusting but with the help of all my teammates, they made it so much easier and they put so much confidence in me and they really inspire me just to get better.”

Robinson now is looking to play collegiately at schools such as USC, UCLA, Arizona State and Cal.

“I really wanted to prove myself,” she said. “Moving out here was a great decision.”

Beckman’s Duje Grubisic is the Orange County girls water polo coach of the year for 2023-24. (Courtesy of Carrie Grubisic)

COACH OF THE YEAR

Duje Grubisic, Beckman

Beckman continued to rise in its third season under Duje Grubisic. The Patriots (24-4) went undefeated en route to the Pacific Coast League title, finished ninth in the Orange County rankings and reached the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals. The team lost to eventual champion Alta Loma 7-6.

The Patriots set the school record for victories in a season and placed seven players on the All-Pacific Coast League team. Sophomore Brooke Knisely earned MVP while senior goalie Natalia Lugassy took most valuable goalie.

FIRST TEAM ALL-COUNTY

Jailynn Robinson, Orange Lutheran, Jr. (Player of the year)

Sophia Bunnell, Mater Dei, Sr., GK

The Michigan-bound goalie racked up 173 saves to help the Monarchs reach their first Open Division final and finish second in the CIF SoCal Division I regional.

Ryan Chalupnik, Newport Harbor, Sr.

The UCLA-bound center consistently established strong position at 2 meters, drew exclusions and scored to help the Sailors earn a share of the Sunset League title and reach the Open Division semifinals. She was co-MVP in league.

Allison Cohen, Orange Lutheran, So.

The versatile attacker earned all-tournament honors in Santa Barbara and was selected the outstanding field player at the Irvine SoCal Championships. She was arguably the county’s best passer.

Ava Knepper, Laguna Beach, Sr.

The USC-bound attacker scored 101 goals and added 37 assists and 39 steals to help the Breakers earn a share of the Sunset League title and reach the Open Division playoffs. She was co-MVP in the Sunset.

Deirdre Murphy, Foothill, Sr.

The UC Irvine-bound center powered a 2-meter attack that helped the Knights win the Newport Invite and reach the Open Division semifinals. She was the Crestview League’s MVP.

Kyla Pranajaya, Orange Lutheran, Jr., GK

Pranajaya filled the biggest shoes in the county by replacing early graduate Lauren Steele (UCLA). She was selected the outstanding goalie at the Irvine SoCal tournament. She made 17 saves and scored in the finals of the Santa Barbara tournament.

Sofia Umeda, Orange Lutheran, Sr.

The USC-bound center provided key scoring, defense and leadership for the Lancers. She was selected MVP at the Santa Barbara tournament and all-tournament in Irvine.

ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM

Kara Carver, Laguna Beach, Jr.

Sydney Chapman, JSerra, Sr.

Phoebe DeMoss, San Clemente, Jr.

Didi Evans, Corona del Mar, Jr.

Riley Johnson, Mater Dei, So.

Kirra Pantaleon, Foothill, So.

Emma Perrigo, Foothill, So., GK

Reagan Weir, Corona del Mar, Jr.

ALL-COUNTY THIRD TEAM

Sienna Bertsch, Sunny Hills, Sr., GK

Delaney Hook, Mater Dei, Fr.

Hannah McClaskey, Santa Margarita, Sr.

Mady Nollan, Los Alamitos, Sr.

Sloane Paulson, JSerra, So.

Talyn Pelkey, San Clemente, Jr.

Ava Schoening, Corona del Mar, Sr.

Michelle Urkov, Orange Lutheran, Jr.

ALL-COUNTY FOURTH TEAM

Madilyn Ekstrom, Rosary, Jr.

Yoshi Elseifi, Northwood, Sr.

Delanney Ewing, Canyon, Sr.

Presley Jones, Laguna Beach, Jr.

Brooke Knisely, Beckman, So.

Harper Price, Newport Harbor, Jr.

Hannah Reekstin, Sunny Hills, Sr.

Jayden-Starr Smith, Buena Park, Jr., GK

Related Articles