The VC women's water polo team's 2023 season came to an end Friday in the quarterfinal round of the Southern California regional Playoffs in Glendora. The No. 6-seeded Pirates (21-11) fell to No. 3 Saddleback 18-8 one round shy of a 3C2A State Tournament berth. AnnMarie Patterson and Ella Montano each scored three goals and Kelsee Espitia added two assists and three steals to the effort for VC.
The game got off to a bad start for the Pirates as they fell behind 5-0 after the first eight minutes of play. The Bobcats extended the lead to 6-0 before Montano got VC on the board with a goal with 6:10 left in the second quarter. Kendall Ribbers answered a Saddleback score with her own goal and Patterson closed the gap to 7-3 and 8-4 with scores around a Bobcat goal, and Ventura trailed 10-4 at halftime.
Gabrielle MacNeill found the inside of the cage in the third period before Montano sandwiched a pair of goals around a score by Patterson in the final stanza.
Montano drew three exclusions and grabbed two steals while Ribbers also drew three exclusions with one theft. Milla Malesich added two steals and a drawn exclusion to the effort and Ahna Davis stopped seven Bobcat shots in goal.
The Pirates end the season with a final record of 21-11, the fifth season since 1998, and the second in three years, with 20+ wins.
