Raquel de Pinho's 15 saves in goal lifted the West Valley women's water polo team to hard-fought 12-5 win over Merced Wednesday in Saratoga. Alexandra Ruzsa's three first period goals staked the Vikings to a 5-0 lead en route to an 8-1 halftime lead. Sierra Ceballos led all scorers with six goals and a pair of assists, while Sabrina Esteves found the back of the net three times. The win gave the Vikings (12-4, 4-0 Coast) a one-game lead over Merced (10-4, 3-1) in the conference standings. WVC heads to crosstown rival De Anza (1-2, 0-1) Oct. 10. The ball drops at 3:00pm.