The West Valley women's water polo team captured its 7th-consecutive Coast Conference Championship tournament title last Friday at College of Marin. The Vikings (20-7) advance to next weekend's NorCal Regional Championship at Las Positas College. Marte Skibba was named the Coast Conference MVP by the league's coaches at the conclusion of the tournament.

The Queens of Chlorine easily won their semifinal matchup Friday morning against the host Mariners (8-9). WVC scored on eight straight 1st-quarter possessions en route to an insurmountable 9-0 lead after one. Bella Raynes led the 1st-quarter deluge with five goals, including four in a row from 6:31 to 5:31. The Vikings made it 13-3 at the break with two 2nd-quarter goals from Alicia Vernon and one each from Ava Grays and Skibba. WVC shut out Marin 6-0 in the 2nd half behind three goals from Grays, two from Mia Sickler-Lopez and one from Annelise Escobedo. 

Raynes finshed with a game-high five goals on five shots, followed by Grays with four, three from Vernon and two from Escobedo. Kayla Tweed stopped four Mariner shots to pick up the win in the cage.

In the afternoon championship matchup with a solid Merced squad, WVC jumped out to a 5-1 1st quarter lead they never surrendered. Anastasija Koreni had three of those opening-stanza scores. The Vikings extended a 7-3 halftime lead to 11-5 with two goals in the 3rd from Skibba and one each from Raynes and Sofia Gaytan. Sickler-Lopez and Grays added 4th quarter tallies.

Koreni and Skibba topped WVC scorers with three goals each, while Gaytan and Raynes had a pair apiece. Tweed turned away 11 shots from Merced (15-11) to earn the win.

WVC enters the regional tourney as the north's #2 seed, behind #1 Sierra (25-5) and open the action Friday against #7 Modesto (11-14). View the entire NorCal bracket.

In addition to Coast MVP Skibba, seven Vikings earned All-Conference honors. Raynes, Tweed and Sofia Orlandi Lazzarini were 1st-team selections. Gaytan, Koreni and Sickler-Lopez were named to the 2nd team, and Grays received Honorable Mention honors.