WWP Preview: CBU Set to Face SDSU in GCC Quarterfinals
RIVERSIDE, CA--- The California Baptist University women's water polo team will compete in the Gold Coast Conference Tournament as the #5 seed for the second consecutive season after finishing the year 3-4 in GCC play and 12-14 overall.
The Lancers will be matched up with San Diego State in what will be the fourth matchup of the season between the two conference foes. CBU faced the Aztecs in last year's GCC Tournament, falling to the Aztecs 16-9 in the quarterfinals. This season, the Aztecs held the series edge 2-1, with the Lancers taking one off of them at the Triton Invitational 14-11 behind a dominant performance from Emaly Hutton and Kyra Kahahawai. In the conference match, the Aztecs won 22-14 in San Diego, with the Lancer's offense coming alive too late to mount a comeback.
During the regular season, the Lancers faced 16 ranked opponents, including six top 10 opponents, and finished with double-digit victories for the fourth-straight season since the COVID-shortened 2021 season. CBU defeated #18 San Diego State and #19 CSUN this season and scored a program-record 28 goals in a home victory over Redlands in The Joust Tournament. The Lancers also had two athletes make the All-GCC list, marking the tenth consecutive season. They have had multiple athletes make the list (not including 2020).
The Lancers were led by All-GCC performers Celeste Almendariz (Second Team) and Kyra Kahahawai (Honorable Mention), who submitted exceptional seasons in the middle. Almendariz led the team and the conference in drawn exclusions with 95 and finished in the top three on the team in goals (43), points (56), field blocks (14), and steals (14). Almendariz's 95 drawn exclusions are the most in a single season in the NCAA era, topping her previous record that she set last season with 79. Almendariz had eight hat tricks this season, including a career-high five goals at the ASU Invitational against #23 San Diego State. Kahahawai led the team in goals (56), shots taken (113), and field blocks (22). Kahahawai's defense was impeccable this season, as she recorded multiple field blocks in six matches and had at least one steal and one field block in seven games.
Other key figures for Julie Snodgrass's squad include Dora Lehoczky, who led the team in points with 80, scoring 42 goals and dishing out 38 assists, both of which were career-high marks for the senior. Emaly Hutton, Delilah Moreno and Grace Bergquist all scored over 20 goals for the Lancers led by Moreno with 27. In goal, the Lancers will be anchored by junior goalkeeper Tyanna Schneider, who recorded 122 saves in just 12 starts and had a save percentage of .475, which led the conference.
TOURNAMENT INFO:
#5 CBU vs #4 San Diego State
DATE/TIME: APR. 25 @2 PM PT
LOCATION: Burns Aquatics Center- Los Angeles, CA
WATCH: OVERNGHT
