The Hoover High girls’ water polo team’s memorable season came to an end Tuesday in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.

The Tornados lost to Ramona, 9–3, closing a historic year in which the program reached the playoffs for the first time.

“It’s very easy for a team to let the game slip away, but we played until the last second,” Hoover coach Domenico Ponziano said. “This shows how strong this team is. Even when we were down, we kept giving it our all.”

Ponziano said the biggest lesson he hopes his players take from the run is that hard work pays off.

Hoover trailed 3–1 at the end of the first quarter and 5–2 at halftime.

Senior goalkeeper Nyah Bankins made multiple saves across the cage, directing the defense and maintaining pressure throughout the match in a strong overall defensive effort.

“We had a very strong defense today,” Bankins said. “We communicated and kept pushing until the end. I’m proud of what we accomplished this season. Knowing this was the last game for some of us, including me, is really emotional. This program is a huge part of us, and what we achieved is a beautiful thing.”

The Tornados received two goals from freshman Violet Hosto.

“We ran a one-two play that worked really well for us,” Hosto said. “They weren’t able to score on us as much after we made that switch.”

Hosto said she feels optimistic about the program’s future.

“Getting the opportunity to play in CIF speaks for itself,” she said. “We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and keep improving our game.”