The West Valley men's water polo team headed to SoCal - Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut to be exact - for a stern test against three of the California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) Top Ten teams over the weekend. The 2nd-ranked Vikings returned to Saratoga with four wins against, in order,  #6 Orange Coast, #2 and previously-unbeaten Cuesta, Palomar and #4 LA Valley.

West Valley (11-2, 1-0 Coast) stayed perfect against 3C2A squads with a tournament-opening 19-13 win over OCC Friday. The Vikings grabbed a 9-4 halftime lead and outscored the Pirates (7-4) 10-9 in the second half. Phil Portisch, who would total 19 goals, 11 assists and nine steals in the tourney, finished with a game-high six goals on eight shots. Sy Lazzaroni added five goals on six shots to help WVC shoot 53% for the game. Ethan MacLeod had three goals, seven assists and a steal, while Mateja Cetkovic recorded two goals, four assists and three thefts. William McKeon stopped eight OCC shots to earn the win in the cage.

Friday's nitecap was a much-anticipated matchup against Cuesta (5-2). The Vikings came out on fire with a 6-0 first quarter that featured two goals apiece from Portisch and Taine Pickering and solo tallies from Lazzarini and Frank Sunseri. An 11-7 second half was just enough to send the Cougars to their first defeat on 2024. Portisch was responsible for 12 scores, shooting 6-for-8 again and handing out six assists. Pickering followed Portisch with five goals, Cetkovic had two goals, three assists and four steals, and MacLeod notched a pair of scores, four helpers and three of WVC's 13 steals. McKeon picked up the win in goal, turning away 14 Cuesta shots.

A 17-5 victory over Palomar (1-7) opened Saturday for the Vikings. After riding a 6-0 second quarter to a 10-3 lead at the half, Viking keeper Ethan Ivey conceded only two Comet second half goals. Berkecan Yalcin returned to the Viking lineup at the tournament after missing the first nine games of the year with an injury. WVC's 2023 leading scorer found his groove against the Comets with two goals, two assists and two steals. Lazzaroni had a goal, four assists and four of WVC's 16 thefts. Bronson Chungson, Pickering and Portisch each found the back of the cage three times, and Ivey had ten saves to improve his 2024 record to 4-0 against 3C2A opponents.

WVC's Mt. SAC Invitational finale was a physical battle against the 4th-ranked Monarchs of LA Valley (6-4). 24 ejections, five penalties and two misconducts were issued, resulting in a combined nine power play goals and five 5-meter penalty shot conversions. Yalcin led the way with a game-high five goals on seven shots. Portisch was, again, a force in all phases, finishing with four goals, four assists and four of West Valley's 12 steals. McKeon had five saves and moved to 7-0 on the year. 

The Vikings return to the West Valley Aquatic Center Wednesday (9/25) for a Coast Conference contest against Las Positas (5-4, 1-0). The ball drops at 3:00pm and precedes a 4:15 game between the WVC women (7-3, 2-0) and the Hawks (1-5, 1-0).