The Ventura College women's water polo team had four Pirates earn first-team All-Western State Conference honors in voting by the league coaches last month. Additionally, two student athletes earned second-team nods and two were awarded honorable mention All-WSC. Emily Baughn, Ahna Davis, Daphne Neilan and Kendal Santos led the VC all-conference honorees.
Baughn, a freshman from Thousand Oaks, led the team with 47 assists on the year. She also scored 20 goals and was a presence on the defense with 36 steals. Davis, meanwhile, was a mainstay for the Pirates in the cage. The Porterville High School product started 19 of VC's 26 games in goal, turning back 184 shots in 79 quarters of play. Neilan, who hails from Oxnard, led Ventura with 64 goals and 70 steals while starting all 26 games on the year. She also handed out 31 assists offensively and drew a team-high 29 exclusions. Santos was also a standout offensively for the WSC runners-up. The Camarillo High School alumna scored 51 goals with 39 assists, both second on the team. She also drew 32 ejections and led the defense with 75 steals.
Center Gabrielle MacNeill (Moorpark HS) and utility player Kendall Ribbers (Thousand Oaks HS) were named second-team All-WSC. Caitlyn Hilgenberg (Oxnard HS) and Savannah Packard (Royal HS) were named honorable mention all-conference.
The Pirates ended the year with a 15-11 overall record, 4-3 in WSC games. They finished the conference tournament dropping the championship game for the third straight season. VC advanced to the Southern California Regional Playoffs, dropping their first round match-up by a 13-12 decision.