BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Harvard University’s Niki Piovan (So., Vouliagmeni, Greece/HAEF Athens College) shot zero-for-one and won a sprint as Greece suffered an 11-9 loss to Spain in the semifinals of the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships (U20) in Salvador, Brazil.
The Greeks gained an early advantage in the game by opening up a 3-0 lead in the first quarter and holding a 7-3 margin by halftime. However, the Spaniards rallied back to outscore the Greeks 3-0 in the third quarter prior to completing the comeback with a 5-2 outburst in the fourth quarter.
Greece will return to the water on Saturday, August 16, at 1:00 p.m. local time/Noon Eastern versus Italy in the Bronze Medal game. Italy came up short against the United States in the semifinals as the Italians fell 13-11 to the Americans.
All matches for the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships are scheduled to stream live on the World Aquatics YouTube site. Live statistics and postgame box scores are available from MicroPlus Timing Services.
Piovan is coming off a championship season with the Crimson as Harvard recorded the program’s inaugural Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) women’s title by knocking off Princeton University in overtime, 10-8, at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on April 27. The 2025 CWPA Championship Rookie of the Tournament, she also became the fourth Harvard women’s athlete to claim a regular season Rookie of the Year award since the creation of the honor prior to the 2003 season.
A 2025 CWPA Championship All-Tournament Third Team honoree, she claimed four league Rookie of the Week nods (February 24, March 10, March 17, April 28) and an All-Conference First Team laurel to go along with Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Third Team All-America status for posting 106 points with 58 goals 48 assists.
