California Baptist University
San Diego State University
WWP Preview: CBU set to Match Up Against the Aztecs in GCC Quarterfinals
4/23/2024 1:35:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University women's water polo squad will head north to Santa Clara for the 2024 Gold Coast Conference Tournament this week. CBU enters as the #5 seed in the tournament and will match up against San Diego State on Friday.
The Lancers finished the season 11-17 overall and 3-4 in GCC play to earn their seeding, posting conference wins over Azusa Pacific, Concordia, and Santa Clara. Their conference record was their best since 2021 and their five home victories were tied for their most since 2019. This will be the 22nd GCC Tournament game for the Lancers since 2014 where they have a 9-12 overall record. CBU has claimed victories in each of the last two tournaments, including a 13-10 victory over Concordia in 2022 and a 12-7 victory in the 7th Place Match over Santa Clara last season.
Julie Snodgrass's squad will face off against the #23 Aztecs for the third time this season after dropping the two previous contests by a total of four goals. In the first contest, the Lancers conducted a second-half flurry on the Aztecs that fell short, eventually losing 13-12 at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. In the conference closer, the Aztecs once again built up a sizable lead that the Lancers were able to cut into in the second half. As in the first contest, the Aztecs survived the comeback to pull out the 13-10 victory.
In the series' history, San Diego State has had the upper hand over CBU, winning the last 23 matches in the all-time series. Despite numerous close contests, the Lancers have yet to defeat SDSU since 2001, when they bested them twice at a neutral site. CBU will attempt to change the narrative in the postseason and will be led by three All-GCC performers in Emaly Hutton (2nd Team), Delilah Moreno (All-Freshman), and Celeste Almendariz (Honorable Mention).
Hutton led the team in goals and points, was second in assists, and drew exclusions for the Lancers during the regular season. Hutton scored 52 goals, dished out 27 assists, and brought home the GCC Player of the Week for her career day against Concordia Irvine. In that game against the Eagles, Hutton netted a career-high five goals and dished out an assist en route to earning herself the award. Hutton was eighth in the conference in goals scored and was seventh in total points. Hutton also posted 11 hat tricks this season and had seven multi-assist matches for the Lancers.
Moreno earned an All-Freshman nod after a stellar inaugural campaign for CBU. Moreno scored 27 goals, dished out 15 assists, and had 12 steals during the regular season. Moreno was tied for third on the team in goals and had nine multi-goal games. Moreno had two hat tricks on the season, including one against #24 Brown. Moreno has also led the team in points on several occasions this season, including a top-tier performance against top-ranked LMU when she netted a goal and dished out a season-high three assists.
Almendariz was the final honoree for the Lancers, bringing in an honorable mention following an impressive junior campaign for the Lancers. Almendariz led the team by a wide margin in drawn exclusions, drawing 71 this season. The 71 drawn exclusions tied her for the most in a single season in program history for the NCAA era. Almendariz was also the second-leading goal scorer for CBU with 32 and led the team in shooting percentage, converting 52.5% of her shots. Almendariz had an exceptional Indiana Classic in mid-February when she netted eight goals over four matches and led the team in points with ten.
The quarterfinal match between the Aztecs and the Lancers will be streamed on Overnght on Friday at 2 PM at the Sullivan Aquatic Center in Santa Clara, CA. CBU will be guaranteed a second match in the tournament regardless of the outcome on Saturday.
