Pirates ranked 1st in Northern California

Atop NorCal rankings,MJC women’s water polo team enjoys strong bond

Ron Agostini
ragostini@modbee.com

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

The Modesto Junior College women's water polo team never has been No. 1 in Northern California. Until now.

Say hello to the top-ranked No-Drama Pirates.

"They're having fun. Obviously it's more fun when you win," coach Eric Fischer said. "I told them early this year, 'I don't want drama. We don't have time for drama.' "

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

The Pirates get along, all right. They're 16-1, winners of 16 straight after a season-opening loss to Foothill, and all is good in MJC's pool.

"We're all friends. We're all sisters," sophomore star Meghan Devlin said. "We go to other schools and their players are telling us they're not allowed to talk on game-day because they don't get along. We're hanging out every weekend."

"There's something wrong," added Erica Crain, the other MJC standout, "if we're not talking."

Camaraderie comes naturally, of course, when you're rolling like the 2009 Pirates. They're averaging 12.3 goals per game to their opponents' 5.5, and Fischer often pulls his starters for most of the second half.

That's why they're top-seeded going into the Big 8 Championship today and Saturday at San Joaquin Delta. Modesto, ranked seventh in California, is heavily favored today at 9 a.m. against Sacramento City, a team it pummeled 20-3. The Pirates ripped through the Big 8 (7-0), raising their expectations through the roof for the postseason.

"I'm a little nervous," Fischer said. "We've beaten Santa Rosa, Sierra and American River in their own pools, but it doesn't mean anything. Now, we've got to do it all again."

Modesto figured to be strong this fall. The Pirates returned Crain, Devlin and Nicole Scudder — three JC All-American swimmers — from a team that placed fourth in Northern California in 2008.

The Pirates' nemesis last year was Sierra, which beat them three times, including the third-place NorCal game that propelled Sierra to the State Championships and sent MJC home.

Modesto's answer came on Oct. 7 when it built a big lead and held off a late Sierra charge to win 9-8. The victory signaled the Pirates' arrival as a regional power.

"Fourth actually was good with us (last year) because MJC hadn't made it to NorCals in a long time," Devlin said. "But fourth definitely is not good this year. Win or go home!"

Crain, MJC's toughminded hole-set, leads her teammates with 56 goals, 17 assists and 28 steals. She provides the leadership along with the angular Devlin, who possesses the team's hardest shot. Devlin has accounted for 46 goals, 18 assists and 28 steals.

"Erica led us through the first half of the year," Fischer said. "Meghan has stepped up and taken control of the offense the last three games. Now, you've got two girls who can score five, six or seven goals a game. And I've got five or six more girls who can score and are playing better."

Kashi Tomicich, MJC's 6-foot-1 goalie, averages 6.9 saves per game and often ignites the offense from the cage. Then there's Scudder (nine goals) and fellow sophomores Katie Vengris (16 goals) and Desiree Lundgren (12 goals) and freshmen Christy Saldana (11 goals) and Lauryn Lewis (seven goals). Tomicich has picked up 11 goals when she's not stopping shots.

"Tomicich would give us more in the field but she has stepped up as a goalie," Fischer said. "We're winning because of her."

They're winning by talent, performance and, yes, sans drama.

"We don't have many problems," Crain said. "It's a big part of having a winning team to have a good team dynamic going. We've all bonded well."

MJC MEN'S WATER POLO — The third-seeded Pirates take a 15-6 record and a 3-2 league record into their first-round Big 8 game today at 2:50 p.m. against sixth-seeded Sierra. They'll try to qualify for the NorCal Championships Nov. 13-14 at Ohlone (Fremont).

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.