MONTEREY >> The process at times felt like a marketing pitch for Quinn Connolly. As prospective colleges began to seek her water polo services, preparation also meant selling a school on her as well.

While a school record 155 goals last season at Santa Catalina was the bait, Connolly also brought an attitude of team culture to the table, while exhibiting tireless work habits.

“The recruiting process is so taxing,” Connolly said. “You are talking to coaches, putting yourself out there. You have to sell yourself. You’re telling them ‘you want me on your team.’”

Yet, it still had to be a mutual fit. A handful of colleges met her criteria. Just one grabbed her heart as Connolly verbally committed to UC Davis for 2026.

“The three things at the top of my list were team coaching, team chemistry and team culture,” Connolly said. “I’ve been there three times. It’s a great fit for me.”

Connolly, who will begin her senior season 20 goals shy of 300 for her career, evolved last fall for the Cougars, becoming just the third player in school history to produce over 100 goals in a season.

Having led the county in goals last fall, Connolly was one of two players to produce over 100 goals, joining Stevenson’s Emmerson Ferriera, who will be at UC Santa Barbara this fall.

“I wouldn’t be here without the support of my parents, coaches and teammates,” Connolly said. “A lot of people have helped me along this journey. I want to show up this year for my teammates and help them get opportunities to excel in the pool.”

More than 20 colleges reached out to Connolly before the 17-year-old narrowed her choices to five schools. Her decision came three weeks before the start of her senior season.

“It was fun to talk to the coaches and players, get their perspectives and meet new people,” Connolly said. “Once I narrowed it down to five schools, it got a little more stressful. There is this sense of relief.”

Connolly was recruited by UC Davis as an attacker, where she will be asked to distribute, while continuing to get opportunities to produce goals.

“I think they see me as someone that can add to their culture,” Connolly said. “I meshed well with the team on my visits. I have a strong foundation playing on the outside from my club team in Santa Cruz. That determined a lot in my decision.”

The last player from Santa Catalina to play water polo at UC Davis was Brita Sigourney, who went on to win a bronze medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics in freestyle skiing.

Connolly is adding to the legacy of the family, as her dad played water polo at Cal, while her mom played volleyball on the Berkeley campus.

“I always knew I wanted to play sports in college,” Connolly said. “I’m proud to say I’m a fifth-generation collegiate athlete.”

Playing softball as a youth, having a background in the mechanics of throwing a ball transferred over to water polo when she took up the sport eight years ago.

“I had a background with the throwing part,” Connolly said. “I grew up swimming. But I never loved it like water polo. I just like the team aspect. And I love being in the water.”

Connolly will spend her senior season playing alongside her sister Taylor, who handed out 34 assists last year as a freshman, many of which went to her sister.

“Our communication is great because we always talk to each other,” Connolly said. “Taylor had a lot of my assists. We just have a great connection, a feel for each other.”

While Connolly has a plan each time she sends a ball whistling through the water, there are moments when adjustments are made as she catapults herself out of the water.

“Normally, I know where I’m going,” Connolly said. “A lot of times it is a read when the ball is in your hands. Can I make the goalie jump when faking shots? Do I skip it off the water, or lob it over the blockers? Scoring is a relief of tension, yet feels so amazing.”

There are no goals in terms of breaking school records. The objective for Connolly is to improve her decision-making while helping her team raise the bar for others to follow.

Last year, Santa Catalina won 14 matches, finishing in a tie for second in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division behind perennial power Stevenson to reach the postseason.

“One of our goals is to make the playoffs,” said Connolly, who also led the Cougars in steals last year with 46. “But also to grow our team and our culture to be tight.”