WATER POLO: Grossman, Manke score as U.S. takes bronze at Junior World Championships

There was some unfinished business to take care of Saturday at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships, not only for the U.S. women's junior national water polo team, but for Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke.

The Americans were looking to rebound from Friday's sudden-death semifinal setback to the Netherlands, as well as gain a measure of revenge for an overtime loss to Hungary in the bronze-medal match at the 2007 World Championships in Portugal.

Manke, a Loyola Marymount signee, didn't want to be the lone U.S. field player to go the entire tournament without scoring.

Both goals were accomplished in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia, as Manke scored a crucial second-quarter goal to slow down a Hungary comeback and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman added two as the Americans limited their opponents to three second-half goals in an 11-8 victory.

Russia, a silver medalist in 2005, capped an unbeaten run in its home pool, defeating the Netherlands 14-9 to capture its first gold medal.

It was the third bronze medal in eight appearances for the U.S., along with the first two World Championships in 1995 in Canada and 1997 in the Czech Republic. The Americans, who have also captured two gold medals and a silver, were in danger of being shut out of the medal picture for the second straight tournament and third overall, including 1999 in Italy.

After the U.S. built a 4-1 advantage, Hungary closed to within a goal on three occasions in the second quarter, but Grossman, Manke and Monte Vista of Danville senior Kelly Mendoza responded each time for the Americans, who led 7-5 at halftime.

Grossman scored less than a minute into the second half and Monte Vista junior Maggie Steffens -- who matched Dos Pueblos of Goleta junior Kiley Neushel with a team-high three goals -- extended the lead to 9-5, before Hungary rallied with three unanswered goals in the next seven minutes.

But Madeline Rosenthal, a senior at Florida's Ransom Everglades, scored with 5:10 remaining and Steffens recorded an insurance goal two minutes later to secure the victory and avoid a repeat of the 10-8 overtime setback two years ago.

Steffens and Stanford-bound Annika Dries were named to the seven-player all-tournament team. Steffens scored a team-leading 16 goals and Dries, selected the top center forward, added 13. Grossman finished with 12 goals, including a penalty shot in the 12-11 semifinal loss to the Netherlands.