MJC women looking to make splash at State

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Modesto Junior College women's water polo team arrived at Golden West College on Thursday with one goal already accomplished.

The Pirates qualified for the State Championships after barely missing last year, and they're the first MJC team to reach State in 10 years.

Modesto (18-3) is paired against Long Beach (26-7) today at 10:30 a.m. as California's top six teams, three from the North and three from the South, decide who's best this weekend.

The Pirates, possessing the state's third-best record, placed second at the Big 8 Championships and third at the NorCals. A victory over Long Beach would bring them into a head-to-head rematch with conference rival Sierra today at 4:30 p.m. Modesto, which beat Sierra 9-8 on Oct. 7, lost to Sierra last fall in the NorCal game that cost the Pirates a trip to State.

"We feel we can play with Long Beach. We got as good a draw as anyone," MJC coach Eric Fischer said. "If we win two games, we're in the championship game. It's a realistic goal."

Modesto has been paced all season by its 1-2 punch of sophomores Erica Crain and Meghan Devlin. Crain leads the team with 65 goals, 21 assists and 32 steals while Devlin — playing at her best the past few weeks — has totaled 48 goals, 26 assists and 37 steals. Goalkeeper Kashi Tomicich has accounted for 137 saves.