Two of the most-celebrated players in the history of West Valley women's water polo will take their considerable talents to the NCAA Division One level, as Kianna "Kiki" Melvin and Johanna "Jojo" Scheer, who were instrumental in WVC's 2021 state championship and 2022's 3rd place state finish, have accepted scholarship offers from a pair of SoCal universities.
Melvin has signed with California State University, Northridge (CSUN). The 5-11 utility player from Harare, Zimbabwe, will be forever known for her last-second field block that clinched West Valley's 6-5 win over Santa Barbara City College in the 2021 state championship. One of the state's best all-around players, Melvin tallied 180 goals, a .60 shooting %, 93 steals and 70 assists in her two years in Saratoga. In 2022, she finished 8th in the CCCAA with 85 goals on 145 shots, and led the Vikings with 66 steals. She shot an incendiary 62% in 2021, ending the state title campaign with 95 goals on 153 shots.
Appropriately, Melvin earned numerous awards during her WVC career. In 2021, she was named to the 1st Team All-America, All-State, All-NorCal, All-Coast Conference and All-State Tournament squads. In 2022, Melvin earned All-America, All-NorCal and All-Coast 1st Team honors.
CSUN plays in the Big West Conference under Head Coach Matt Warshaw, now entering his 7th season leading the Matadors.
Scheer signed with the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The 5-11 Porterville, CA product completed her West Valley career as one of the greatest offensive players in CCCAA history. Her 268 total goals are even more impressive when one considers Scheer often spent entire halves of games out of the water due to huge Viking leads. Scheer also finished with 91 steals and 71 assists in her two years at WVC.
She led the CCCAA in goals in 2021 with 142 (easily outdistancing the 2nd-place player's 99) on 285 shots and was a close second in 2022 with 126 on 217 shots. She entered the 2022 season wanting to improve her shooting percentage and increase her assists. Mission accomplished; her shooting improved nearly 10% and her assists rose from 17 to 54.
Scheer has dominated the postseason awards list for two years: 2021: 1st Team All-America, All-State, All-NorCal, All-Coast Conference, All-State Tournament and West Valley Female Athlete of the Year; 2022: 1st Team All-America, All-State, All-NorCal, All-Coast, All-State Tournament, and NorCal and Coast Conference MVP.
UCSB is also a member of the Big West. The Gauchos are coached by Serela Kay, now in her 8th season. Melvin and Scheer, teammates under Erika Vargas at West Valley, can now look forward to squaring off against each other at least twice a year in Big West action.