The Santa Barbara City College women’s water polo goal of reaching the state championship match for a fifth consecutive year is off to a good start as the Vaqueros earned four wins at the 2025 Central Coast Invitational hosted by Cuesta College.
SBCC opened its season against Golden West on Thursday with a 14-6 victory. May Guidoux scored three goals while Ava Barclay added two goals, an assist and three steals.
In the second match on Thursday, the Vaqueros bested Cuesta 18-6. Luciana Grooms collected four goals and four assists in the win, with Pamela Hernandez chipping in two goals, two assists and two steals.
The first day of action made a big impression on head coach Chuckie Roth: “I was delightfully impressed with all of our newcomers. May Guidoux had a phenomenal weekend of growth. Freshman Sophie McGehee and redshirt freshman Lucy Grooms did a great job in the middle of the pool.”
Friday started with a 12-5 win over Orange Coast. Katie Strohl stuffed the stat sheet with three goals, four assists, and four steals. McGehee tallied a goal and an assist, along with four steals, and Avery Jensen chipped in another three goals and an assist.
In the final match of the tournament for SBCC, the Vaqs claimed a 19-9 win against West Valley. Jada Ashen collected four goals, an assist and a steal while Hernandez and Jense each tallied three goals.
A common theme throughout the tournament was Santa Barbara’s commitment to defense. “Freshman Ava Barclay and Riley Olney held down the defense. Our defense continues to be the backbone of our strength,” said Roth.
Barclay collected four wins in goal throughout the tournament with a 75.7 save percentage. Olney saw action in all four games as well, posting a 54.1 save percentage.
With a great start to the season, SBCC remains focused on the season ahead. “I’m excited about our opportunities, but focused on improving our play from last weekend,” said Roth.
The Vaqueros travel to Orange Coast College next weekend for a tournament, where they take on Long Beach City in a rematch of last year’s championship final on Friday.