MERCED, Calif. – Viviana Luna tallied six goals and five assists and the University of California, Merced women's water polo team used their most dominant outing of the weekend to beat Cal Maritime 18-5 and earn a third-place finish at the inaugural NAIA Women's Water Polo Finals on Sunday afternoon at the Aquatics Center.
The Bobcats (8-13) scoring output and margin of victory marked their highest of the tournament and their second highest of the season overall.
Luna's 11 points marked a season-high. The freshman, who outscored the Keelhaulers single-handedly, scored two goals in each of the first three quarters on her way to tying the Bobcats 2023 team-high originally set by Hope Stokes in the inaugural home match on February 12. Luna also had two steals.
Hope Stokes, the Bobcats NAIA Finals Team MVP, shined both in the field and in the cage on Sunday. Stokes scored a pair of first half goals and then sported the goalkeeper cap for the fourth quarter and recorded six saves on seven Keelhauler shots.
Miranda Cruz and Kaitlyn Kimmel notched a hat-trick. Cruz's three-goal outing was the first of her career and the Los Angeles, Calif., native also had four steals.
Arianna Martinez was good for a pair of scores and three assists, while Carly Kissinger and Paula Villalta Valle scored a goal each.
Starting goalkeeper Carlin Rodelo made eight stops in her 24 minutes in the cage.
Head coach Johnny Bega's squad dominated from start to finish and led 4-0 after the first quarter. Luna played a role in all four first period goals for the Bobcats, either scoring the goal or recording the assist. The Bobcats went on to score seven unanswered goals and held Cal Maritime scoreless until the 3:35 mark of the second quarter. Following Cal Maritime's goal, UC Merced outscored the Keelhaulers 4-1 in the closing three and a half minutes leading up to intermission.
The Bobcats 11-2 lead marked their biggest halftime lead of the campaign.
UC Merced continued to score at a steady pace over the next 16 minutes, building their lead to as big as big as 18-4 following three unanswered goals from Kissinger, Kimmel, and Villalta Valle. Overall, six different Bobcats scored a second half goal.
Up next, the Bobcats get back to tournament play and compete in the CWPA Club Sierra Pacific "B" Division Championships April 15-16 in Moraga, Calif. The Bobcats will enter the tournament as the #1 seed.
