Former women's basketball player Sarah Matossian played just one season at Irvine Valley.
But she made a big impact.
And Matossian has kept it going at Vanguard University.
She finished her senior season (2024-25) being named first team all-PacWest Conference.
Matossian will leave Vanguard with the 11th-most rebounds all-time with 618 and finished the 2024-25 season with a career-high 249 rebounds and 338 points.
She averaged just shy of a double-double this past season, notching 13 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
She had career performances in the season series against Concordia by scoring 34 points on the road, tied for 18th most in a single game all-time at Vanguard and the most in a game this year in the conference.
At home, she hauled in 21 rebounds, tied for third most in a single game at Vanguard and tied for third in a game this season in the PacWest.
Matossian started in all 26 games for the Blue and Gold and averaged 36.5 minutes per game.
She shot 46.5 percent from the floor and 40.2 percent from three-point range.
Matossian had 10 blocks, tying her career high, 44 steals, 72 assists, and nine double-doubles during the campaign.
Matossian paced Vanguard in points scored across the season and hung a team-high 259 during PacWest play.
Overall, Matossian was tops on the team in field goal percentage, total rebounds, offensive boards (99), steals, and second in blocks and three-point percentage.
In the conference, Matossian finished 11th in points per game and 12th in total points.
She ended third in rebounds per game, third in offensive boards, and fourth in total rebounds. She also llanded third in field goal percentage, fourth in three-point percentage, eighth in threes made per game (1.6), fifth in assists and assists per game, and 11th in steals.
In addition to her success against Concordia, her 28 points against Biola were tied for sixth-most in a single game in the PacWest and her five three-pointers made against Westmont at home were tied for the most by any player in the league.
She graduates as a 41.8 percent shooter from the field, a 35.1 percent shooter from three-point range with 7.5 rebounds per game, and 9.3 points per game.
Off the court, she was one of four Lions to be named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American All-District lists.
The Academic All-American program honors student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their sport and in the classroom.
Those nominated must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA, and meet criteria that changes per sport for participation and statistics.
Those nominated make the All-District Teams and CSC members then vote a select group to the Academic All-American honor roll.
The award began in 1952 and is the oldest running award across all of college athletics.
She majored in Business Administration / Acounting.
Matossian averaged 9.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a junior during the 2023-24 season and 5.6 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore in 2022-23.
In her lone season at IVC in 2021-22, Matossian was named to the first team all-state basketball team by the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
She averaged 15.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 steals per game through the regular season.
And Matossian averaged 17.1 points and 12.1 rebounds, while shooting 56.4 percent from the field in conference play.
The Lasers won their fourth straight OEC title, finished the regular season 23-2 overall and went 12-0 in conference.
Irvine Valley was ranked as high as No. 1 in So. Cal. in the last coaches poll. And the Lasers received the No. 2 seed in the So. Cal. Regional Playoffs.
Matossian helped lead Irvine Valley to its best season in program history. The Lasers ended with a record of 26-3 overall and reached the semifinals of the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships.
IVC fell in the semifinals to San Joaquin Delta in a close game, 77-74, at West Hills Lemoore in March.
Matossian led Irvine Valley and the conference in field goal percentage at 52.1 percent and ranked second in the OEC and led Irvine Valley in rebounding at 11.1 per game.
She scored 20 points or more in six games with a season-high 27 points in Irvine Valley's 91-69 victory over Cypress on Jan. 28.
Matossian recorded 15 games with at least 10 rebounds, recording a season-best 17 in a 107-44 IVC victory over Santa Ana on Feb. 23.
