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  May 8, 2008    Kaljo Signs With Tulane in New Orleans

Pirate All-American guard Indira Kaljo has signed a national letter of intent to continue her academic studies and her basketball career at Tulane University in New Orleans.  Kaljo, who transferred to VC this season from Utah State, was the Pirates leading scorer (16.6 ppg) and rebounder (6.7 rpg) in leading VC to a 29-6 season record, including a perfect

12-0 Western State Conference mark for the team's 18th consecutive conference title and a berth in the State Elite Eight, Ventura's first since 2003.  She was named the Team MVP at the post season awards banquet.  READ MORE...

 

  May 1, 2008    Conklin Signs With UC-San Diego

All-Western State Conference guard Jenelle Conklin has signed a national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at the University of California - San Diego.  Conklin, a 5-foot 9-inch sophomore from Santa Maria helped lead the Pirates to a 29-6 record this season, including their first trip to the State Elite Eight since 2003.  She finished her Pirate career in seventh place all-time in field goal percentage, shooting 50.7 (205-404) percent from the floor in 49 games for Ventura College.  READ MORE...

 

  Apr. 24, 2008    Team Awards Given Out at Banquet

Indira Kaljo was named Team MVP while Jenelle Conklin and Lindsay Trout received the We Play Hard Award  highlighting the team's annual Post-Season Awards Banquet Wednesday evening at the Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura.  All of the Pirates were honored at the event attended by some 80 parents, fans, and supporters of the program.  READ MORE...

 

 

  Mar. 30, 2008    Kaljo Named the Star's Collegiate Female Athlete of the Winter Season

(From the Ventura County Star by Joe Curley)  She may have been a freshman at Utah State, but Indira Kaljo felt like she was in a foreign country.  Unhappy with everything about her collegiate experience, she phoned her friend and former club basketball teammate, Eja Wong, who quickly ran down the list of reasons why they should be reunited at Ventura College. READ MORE...

 

  Mar. 27, 2008    Pirates to Host Annual Awards Banquet

The Ventura College Pirates women's basketball team will host its annual awards banquet on Wednesday April 23 at the Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura.  The evening will celebrate the individual and team accomplishments of the 2007-08 season including a 29-6 record, the program's 18th consecutive Western State Conference championship, a 3.35 team GPA in the fall semester, and a return to the State Elite Eight.  READ MORE...

 

  Mar. 17, 2008    Kaljo Named Honorable Mention All-American

Ventura College sophomore Indira Kaljo has been named a State Farm / WBCA Honorable Mention All-American.  The team was announced on March 17 in a press release issued by the national coaches association.  The 5'10" guard from Montclair Prep High School in Sherman Oaks averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, both of which were team highs.  She also connected for  74 3-pointers and shot 75.9 percent from the free throw line in helping VC to a 29-6 record, including its 18th consecutive Western State Conference championship and its first trip to the state Elite Eight since 2003.  READ MORE...    See WBCA Press Release

 

 

  Mar. 14, 2008    Painful Loss For VC's Santizo

(From the Ventura County Star by Joe Curley)  Michelle Santizo hasn't been able to speak much for weeks.  But it wasn't that tonsillitis that has her scheduled for surgery next week that kept her mute after the Ventura College women's basketball team's 70-64 loss to Fresno City in the state quarterfinals Thursday.  READ MORE...

 

  Mar. 13, 2008    Pirates Fall to Fresno at State

We Play Hard means giving your best effort all the time.  It means never having to make excuses or to explain yourself.  The Pirates have to do neither as they left everything on the court Thursday night at the Spanos Center in the state quarterfinals against Fresno City College.  Unfortunately, VC's best wasn't quite enough as the fell to the Rams 70-64 in a hard-fought battle to qualify for the State Final Four.  Ventura's season ends with a record of 29-6 and an appearance in the State Elite Eight, both the best since the 2002-03 season.  READ MORE...

See Article From Ventura County Star

 

  Mar. 13, 2008    * VC Opens With Familiar Foe

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley)  After four years in the wilderness, and only two postseason victories, the five-time state champion Ventura College women's basketball team had lost a measure of its luster.  Which means, like many of his peers, Brian Tessler wasn't quite prepared when he brought the top-ranked team in Northern California south just before Christmastime.  READ MORE...

 

The Pirates prepare to leave Wednesday morning for the State Tournament in Stockton.  Photo by Alisa Moore

 

 

  Mar. 12, 2008    * Hardcourt Hardships

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley)  The journey started with a clear destination rising into the sunset.  Yet the road would be obscured by low-lying clouds.  The path to Ventura College women's basketball team's 12th Great Eight, the first in five years, was not how it was plotted by the coaching staff.  READ MORE...

 

  Mar. 11, 2008    * VC Hopes Time Will Remain on its Side in Fresno Rematch

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley) The matchup between the Ventura College women's basketball team (29-5) and Fresno City (34-2) may be the tightest matchup of the four California Community College state quarterfinals to be played Thursday at the University of the Pacific's Spanos Center in Stockton.  READ...

 

  Mar. 10, 2008    Kaljo Named Finalist for All-American

Pirate sophomore Indira Kaljo has been named a finalist for the WBCA/State Farm Coaches' All-American team.  She is one of 21 finalists for the 10 member team to be announced next week.  "It's a great honor for her," said Head Coach Ned Mircetic.  "But it is also a great honor for our team.  It takes everyone to help a teammate achieve this kind of award."  READ MORE...    See WBCA Press Release

 

  Mar. 8, 2008    Pirates Heading Back to the Future

Jenelle Conklin knocked the ball from the Saddleback offensive player.  Diving on the floor after the loose ball, she flipped it behind her head and over her shoulder to Lindsay Trout streaking down the court for an easy lay-up.  On the next possession Donielle Griggs picked off a Gaucho pass, launching an assist to Trout once again for the easy two.  Ventura was ahead 63-45 with 1:58 remaining in the game.  There was enough energy in the sold-out Athletic Event Center to generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to send the Pirates back to the future, back to the State Elite Eight Tournament for the first time since 2003.  Doc Brown and Marty McFly would be proud.  READ MORE    See Photos

See Article From Ventura County Star

 

  Mar. 8, 2008    * VC Giving Its Fans a Big-Time Twinbill

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley)  Guard Eric Gray pointed along the sideline to the Ventura College bench.  "I was sitting right behind the team," said the freshman from Buena High. "Just wishing I could be out there with them."  READ MORE...

 

  Mar. 7, 2008    * Michelle Santizo, A Key Contributor Despite Playing Through Personal Tragedy

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley) Miguel Santizo raised his daughter for this moment.  He had been to every game, cheering the good days and watching for the bad.  And on the day when Michelle Santizo was down and looking for a way out, her father took her out to dinner.  "It's not fair," she said across the booth.  Miguel explained that life may not be fair, but there are ways to navigate its obstacles.  READ MORE...

 

  Feb. 29, 2008    Conklin, Kaljo Turn Lights Out on Lasers, 86-37 

Pirate sophomores Jenelle Conklin and Indira Kaljo scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, to turn the lights out on the Lasers of Irvine Valley 86-37 in the Regional Semi- Finals of the state playoffs at the Athletic Event Center Friday night.  VC will host Saddleback on Saturday March 8 at 5:30 pm in the first regional final in Ventura since 2004.  READ MORE...

 

  Feb. 29, 2008    * VC Duo Now a Pain to Opposition

(From the Ventura County Star, by Joe Curley) For Lindsay Trout, it started with a dull pain in her right leg, which she figured was a pulled muscle.  Jenelle Conklin was playing in the first half of her first community college game when an opponent from San Bernardino Valley grabbed and twisted her left arm from behind while she was going up for a rebound.  READ MORE...

 

  Feb. 29, 2008    Kaljo Named 2nd Team All-State

Indira Kaljo continues to accumulate post season awards.  The Pirate sophomore has been named Second-Team All-State by the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA)..  READ MORE...

 

  Feb. 25, 2008    Pirates Earn South's #4 Seed; Host Irvine Valley 7 pm Friday

The Pirates (27-5) have been seeded #4 in the Southern California Regional Playoffs.  They will host #13 Irvine Valley  College (18-12) of the Orange Empire Conference on Friday at 7:00 pm at the Athletic Event Center.  

See Article From Ventura County Star     See Brackets:  Southern California    Northern California

 

  Feb. 24, 2008    Five Pirates Earn All-Conference Honors

Jenelle Conklin, Indira Kaljo, Julie Heurung, Michelle Santizo, and Eja Wong all earned All-Western State Conference honors Sunday at the post-season meeting of conference coaches held at Ventura College on Sunday.  READ MORE...

 

  Feb. 23, 2008    Conklin Returns Home to Lead Ventura Past Hancock 79-46 in Season Finale

You can go home again.  Pirate sophomore Jenelle Conklin proved that Saturday night.  After being sidelined with injuries the first three times VC played Allan Hancock College in her career, Conklin, who is from Santa Maria, finally played against her hometown college; making the most of her opportunity with a stellar overall game of nine points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals.  Her performance paced the Pirates in their 79-46 win in the 2007-08 regular season finale.  READ MORE... 

 

  Feb. 20, 2008    Pirates Top Oxnard 73-33

Many times this season, Ventura has used an entire team effort to win a game.  Wednesday night's regular season home