Sharks take Tri-Valley League title; eyes set on CIF-SS playoffs
The Malibu High girls’ water polo team celebrated their seniors in a victorious way on Jan. 27 in the Malibu High pool.
The squad recognized seniors Camille Garvin, a center; Ceylon Zappa, the team’s top scorer; and Neko Kincaid, a goalie, during a Senior Night ceremony that featured everything from baby photos to cheers. The team then defeated Cate 19-0 to claim a third consecutive Tri-Valley League championship and solidify its spot in the CIF-Southern Section Girls Water Polo Division III Championships.
Malibu head coach Hayden Goldberg praised Garvin, Zappa, and Kincaid after the victory.
“I don’t worry about these girls,” he said. “They all have a right head on their shoulders, you know. That has been a blessing for me.”
He added that the 12th-graders have matured in the pool throughout high school.
“I’ve watched Neko get three goals scored on her real quick and then make 15 blocks in a row and us winning a game from behind,” Goldberg recalled. “It’s a crazy game full of emotion that we play, and I’ve seen a huge growth from her with that.”
Garvin, the coach explained, learned her position from Stevie Sturges, one of Malibu’s top players in recent seasons, and has thrived.
“She has been unbelievable,” Goldberg said.
Zappa, the team’s record holder in goals scored in a game and a team captain with Kincaid, leads the Sharks by example, Goldberg stated.
“She will take a girl down and score on a girl and then point to her teammates,” he said. “She has been that girl. She has been phenomenal for us.”
The senior night ceremony before the match featured the seniors holding flowers — in Garvin’s case, flowers along with a cuddly Sharks toy and big head cutout baby photo of herself — and posing for pictures on the pool deck.
The Sharks dominated Cate from the start of the match to the very end.
Garvin, Kincaid, and Zappa, along with junior Olivya Wild-Mullarky, led Malibu to a 14-5 record, including an undefeated run through the Tri-Valley League.
The Sharks host Palm Desert in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday. The winner will move on to the second round on Feb. 10. Malibu advanced to the quarterfinals last February, losing to eventual champion San Dimas 8-6.
The Sharks posted dominant victories throughout their season, but also had some tough losses, which prepared the squad for the postseason.
Goldberg described Malibu as a talented group offensively and defensively.
“These girls are dogs,” he added. “They are ready to go.”
The team features freshmen, who learned from the seniors throughout the regular season.
“I have nine freshmen who for the next three years are going to be like Ceylon, be like Camille, be like Neko, and I can’t be happier,” Goldberg said.
2026 MHS Girls Water Polo Senior night. Photos by Kevin Zacher