BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Harvard University’s Niki Piovan (So., Vouliagmeni, Greece/HAEF Athens College) posted a steal and a field block as Greece handled Hungary, 15-11, to conclude Group B competition at the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships (U20) in Salvador, Brazil.
Greece – which improves to 2-1 at the event following a prior 13-11 victory versus Italy on Sunday, August 10, and a 15-14 loss to the United States via a penalty shootout on Monday, August 11 – hammered out a 6-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in rolling to the win.
The loss locks up a runner-up finish for the Greeks in Group B behind the United States and in front of both Italy and Hungary.
Greece will return to competition on Thursday, August 14, at 8:30 p.m. local/7:30 p.m. Eastern in a quarterfinal match-up against the winner of a game pitting Group A third place squad New Zealand versus Group C runner-up Brazil.
In other quarterfinal action on August 14, Group B champion the United States will clash with the winner of a crossover game pitting Group A fourth place finisher Israel and Group C champion Croatia at 4:00 p.m. local time/3:00 p.m. Eastern. Group A champion Spain faces the winner of Group B fourth place finisher Hungary and Group D champion Australia at 5:30 p.m. local/4:30 p.m. Eastern, while Group A runner-up the Netherlands clashes with the victor of a matchup pitting Group B third place finisher Italy and Group D runner-up the People’s Republic of China at 7:00 p.m. local/6:00 p.m. Eastern.
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 to join Devan Kennifer (Harvard – 2009 – Northern Division), Melissa Balding (Harvard – 2014 – Southern Division) and teammate Maya O’Dea (Jr., Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) on the list.
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.
