Vaqueros Reclaim No. 1 in Top-Spot Tug-of-War with Vikings
Santa Cruz, Calif. – Two-time champion Long Beach City was ranked first, followed by No. 2 Santa Barbara City, in the California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) preseason poll back on August 28. The two squads, winners of the last four 3C2A championships, have alternated as No.1 in each of the five weeks of the regular season, while the Tigers of Riverside City continue to amass a big share of first-place votes every week.
Santa Barbara is No.1 in week five of the coaches poll, followed by No. 2 Riverside and No. 3 Long Beach. SBCC edged LBCC 11-10 in a much-anticipated battle at last weekend's Mt. SAC Invitational to recapture the top spot. The Vaqueros and the Vikings sit atop the South Coast and Western State Conferences, respectively, while the Tigers are tied with No. 4 Golden West and No. 5 Orange Coast in an Orange Empire bottleneck.
Of note, West Valley is back in the Top 10 after rebounding from a narrow Coast Conference loss to talented Merced with Mt. SAC Invite wins over No. 6 Fullerton and No. 8 San Diego Miramar.
(Matt Folsom, CCCWPCA)
2026 CCCWPCA Women's Water Polo Coaches Poll (Sept. 30)
| Rank | College | Points (1st) | Record | PR | |
| 1. | Santa Barbara City | 231 (6) | 16-2 | 3 | Back on Top with 8-Game Win Streak; Wins vs. No. 3 LBCC, No. 4 GWC, No. 5 OCC |
| 2. | Riverside City | 229 (5) | 12-2 | 2 | Topped No. 6 Fullerton to Move to 2-0 in OEC; Face No. 4 GWC in 10/7 OEC Showdown |
| 3. | Long Beach City | 224 (1) | 12-2 | 1 | Lost 11-10 Thriller to No. 2 RCC; Beat No. 8 SD Miramar; Take on No. 7 Sierra at Delta Invite |
| 4. | Golden West | 207 (1) | 12-3 | 5 | Good Week with Wins vs. No. 6 Fullerton, No. 9 Saddleback; 10/7 OEC Clash vs. No. 2 RCC |
| 5. | Orange Coast | 202 | 8-3 | 4 | Beat No. 9 Saddleback Twice; Fell to No. 1 SBCC in 13-10 Epic; Face No. 6 Fullerton on 10/7 |
| 6. | Fullerton | 153 | 14-6 | 6 | Brutal Schedule; Losses to No. 2 RCC, No. 4 GWC, No. 10 West Valley |
| 7. | Sierra | 143 | 6-0 | 7 | Take on No. 2 RCC, No. 3 LBCC, No. 10 WVC, Crafton Hills |
| 8. | San Diego Miramar | 137 | 9-9 | 9 | Rugged Slate; Losses to No. 3 LBCC, No. 6 Fullerton, No. 10 WVC, Crafton Hills |
| 9. | Saddleback | 132 | 7-9 | 8 | Another Tough Schedule: Fell to No. 4 Golden West, Twice to No. 5 Orange Coast |
| 10. | West Valley | 91 | 9-5 | RV | 4-0 at Mt. SAC Invite; Wins over No. 6 Fullerton, No. 8 SD Miramar, SJ Delta, Mt. SAC |
Others Receiving Votes: Crafton Hills 36, Merced 28, Mt. San Antonio 23, Citrus 19, East LA 18, El Camino 17, Marin 16, Cerritos 15, Cypress, 14, Fresno City 13, American River 11, Cuesta 11, Diablo Valley 11, LA Valley 11, Las Positas 11.