It's rare to start the season with a conference match, but that's what the Cerritos College women's water polo team did when they traveled to Rio Hondo College on Wednesday. The Falcons came away with an 18-3 South Coast Conference win over the Roadrunners. The team will now travel to Central California to compete in the Cuesta Tournament this weekend. Cerritos will open with games on Friday against West Valley College and the host Cougars, followed by games against Diablo Valley College and Santa Barbara City College on Sunday.

In the win over Rio Hondo, sophomore Vanessa Hinojosa (Bell Gardens HS) scored four of the team's first five goals, as the Falcons opened up an 8-1 advantage by halftime. It swelled to 12-1 in the third quarter, with freshman Isabella Sierra (California HS) accounting for three of those goals. Sophomore Jenny Parra (Schurr HS) was feeding the duo the ball and posted assists on five of the team's first nine goals.

The freshman duo of Ivanna Tostado (Troy HS) and Dulce Medina (Paramount HS) combined for 12 saves, while the Falcons scored their 18 goals on 30 shots. As a team, Cerritos posted 15 steals on defense, with sophomore Channon Owens (Kennedy HS) leading with three, while four other players had two apiece.

Offensively, Hinojosa had five goals, with Sierra contributing four and sophomore Mikaela Padilla (Schurr HS) adding three goals.