Preview: Women’s Water Polo Set to Take on No. 10 Palomar in SoCal Regionals

For the 20^th consecutive year, the Riverside City College women's water polo team has reached the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern Regional Championship tournament.

It is no surprise that ever since Head Coach Doug Finfrock has been involved with the program, the Tigers have been more than relevant in the state conversation.

"It was still expected to reach the Regional tournament, but there is something sweeter about it this year," said Finfrock. "We went through a lot and didn't take it for granted. A lot of girl stepped up this year and helped us win big games. I am really proud of the way they played."

Riverside has earned the South's seventh seed and will face off against the South's 10^th seed in the Palomar College Comets on Thursday, November 11 at 3 p.m. hosted by Southwestern College.

Admission to the tournament is $12 for a daily pass and $8 for students, faculty, staff, children 12 and under and seniors 60 and over per CCCAA by laws. Tickets can be purchased online through the CCCAA Box Office and Hometown Ticketing.

While Palomar is in the middle of the regional pack, they are no slouch of a team.

"At this point, we are going to get everyone's best," said Finfrock with zero hesitation. "Even if we are a better team, they are going to come out and give everything they have."

The Tigers put together another strong campaign despite dealing with the challenges COVID-19 presented that included a vaccine mandate that forced the Tigers to play more road games and the lack of a full team through the majority of the season.

Nevertheless, the Tigers were consistently ranked in Kap-7's top-10 leading to a 15-win season. The Tigers finished third in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Championships las weekend after defeating Cypress by one goal.

Leading into the tournament, the Tigers are bringing it back to basics. Something that Finfrock and the coaching staff has been focused on all season.

"Its just comes down to fundamentals – drive defense, help defense, five on six and six on five. It is the little things that make a big difference in big games."

Throughout the season, Riverside never lost more than two games in a row. Their best stretch came in October where they went 6-1 that featured two conference victories.

Leading the charge on offense is freshman center Amber Nielsen. She has racked up a team-high 56 goals and has scored at least one goal in all by a mere contest. The game she failed to score in, the Tigers lost. She has scored at least three or more goals in eight games on the season. Furthermore, she leads her team with 40 assists, 22 drawn ejections and is second with 27 steals.

Freshman center Taylor Mason follows with 45 goals in 19 games played. She has added 16 steals, 14 drawn ejections and 14 assists. She, too, has scored in every game by one highlighted by a seven goal affair in a win over Golden West on the second game of the season. Freshman Lauren Nelson has come into her own as she ranks third on the team with 42 goals and has added 21 assists and 13 steals.

"It's a team effort and a balanced effort. Lauren Nelson has been a huge leader Amber Nielsen at center has been key. When they're not scoring, they are making our team better in multiple ways"

While there are some high-caliber teams in the bracket, Palomar is the main focus.

"One game at a time. That doesn't mean just this year, its every year. It's all about one game at a time and then shifting the focus to the next day."