The No. 5 Cal women's water polo team plays its final road game of the 2017 season at No. 16 San Jose State looking to establish some momentum heading into the regular-season finale against No. 1 USC, followed by the MPSF Tournament. The Bears are in a brutal stretch of their schedule that sees them end the regular season playing seven of their final nine games against opponents ranked in the top-6 nationally. Cal has already played the Spartans three times this season and has won all three meetings by an average of 8.3 goals.


 

LOOKING TO FINISH STRONG
The Bears have had some stiff competition lately, and have had to go up against most of it not at full strength. Cal has been bitten by the injury bug during the final month of the season, but is getting healthier and hopes to put it all together down the stretch. Following Saturday's game at No. 16 San Jose State, Cal will have a showdown with No. 1 USC on Senior Day at Spieker Aquatics Complex on April 15. The conference tournament follows, and that could have major implications on the Bears' NCAA Championships aspirations. If the season ended this week, Cal would take on No. 4 Arizona St. in the first round of the MPSF Championships.

WELCOME BACK, DODO
After a year off to play for her native Hungary in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Cal junior Dora Antal has wasted no time reminding the rest of collegiate water polo that she is one of the top offensive players in the NCAA. Antal has been a goal-scoring machine so far this season, scoring 41 goals in 18 games. She is fourth in the MPSF in scoring average (2.28 goals/game).
 
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Emma Wright's much-anticipated arrival in Berkeley has been well worth the wait, as she has twice been named MPSF Newcomer of the Week. Wright ranks second on the team with 30 goals. She signed a National Letter of Intent with Cal in 2014 but deferred her enrollment to train with the Canadian National Team. 

A NEW ERA
The 2017 season commences a new era of Cal women's water polo with the arrival of new head coach Coralie Simmons, who was hired to take over the program in October. Simmons spent the previous nine years as the head coach at Sonoma State and has coached on various levels with the U.S. National Team program. She also was a generational player, having won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and twice being named the NCAA Player of the Year while at UCLA.

OLYMPIC STAFF
The Bears feature an All-Olympic coaching staff, with Simmons leading the program and assistant coach Christopher Lee and volunteer assistant coach Heather Petri also on board. Lee has helped the U.S. win the gold medal in each of the past two Olympics as a video analyst, and has also served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Development Program and as an assistant for the U.S. Cadet National Team. Petri, meanwhile, is a former Cal All-American and the only four-time female Olympian in any sport in Cal history. She helped the U.S. win the gold medal in 2012, silver in 2000 and 2008 and bronze in 2004.

LEGENDS AQUATIC CENTER
Cal opened the Legends Aquatic Center in October, giving the Bears' aquatics programs a new 52-meter training pool with locker rooms and a team room. The facility is primarily for training while the Bears will still play most of their competitions at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

ABOUT NO. 16 SAN JOSE STATE
• Has been outscored 40-15 in three previous games against Cal this season
• G Sara Northam received the Mountain West Conference Community Service Team Award
• Carla Toha Vilanova has 34 goals this season
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. SAN JOSE STATE: 48-1