BERKELEY – The Cal women's water polo team faces its usual loaded schedule in 2020, with 23 of its 26 scheduled matches coming against opponents that finished last season nationally ranked, and eight against 2019 NCAA Championship participants.

The Bears open the 2020 season Jan. 11 at San Jose State before heading to Santa Barbara for the Gaucho Invitational the following weekend. Cal then returns to Berkeley to host the Cal Cup the weekend of Jan. 25-26.

The 2010 Cal Cup will feature Stanford, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Fresno State, San Jose State and the Golden Bears. Cal will take on UC Irvine, UC Davis and San Jose State during the tournament, and play Stanford in an exhibition.

The Bears will play at the Stanford Invitational during the first weekend of February, which will include a showdown against the defending NCAA champion Cardinal.

Cal will open MPSF play March 7 against UCLA at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

The MPSF Championships are scheduled for April 24-26 at San Jose State. The 2020 NCAA Championships will be held at Pacific on May 8-10.

Click here to see the complete 2020 schedule.

The Bears have advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships in six of the past seven years, including last season when they finished No. 4 in the nation. Cal returns a strong nucleus from last year's team, including ACWPC All-American Brigit Mulder.