NO. 7 CAL (0-0) AT NO. 11 FRESNO STATE (1-0)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14 | 6 P.M. PT | FRESNO STATE AQUATICS CENTER | FRESNO, CALIF..
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The No. 7 Cal women's water polo team gets back in the pool for the first time in almost a year when it opens the 2021 season Sunday at No. 11 Fresno State. The Bears last played a game last March 8, four days before the NCAA season was suspended because of COVID-19. Cal welcomes back All-American Kitty Lynn Joustra (The Netherlands) and Elli Protopapas (Greece), each of whom took last season off to train with her respective national teams in preparation for the Summer Olympics.

 

THE "NEWCOMERS"
Factoring in the return of Kitty Lynn Joustra (The Netherlands) and Elli Protopapas (Greece) from their season off to train for the Olympics, Cal has 10 players who weren't on the roster in 2020. The Bears have eight freshmen, some of whom are expected to contribute right away.

BIG-TIME BRI
Senior Brigit Mulder established herself as one of the top offensive players in the country last season, leading the MPSF with 59 points and 3.28 points per game. She had 38 goals and 21 assists, and finished the season ranked in the top-10 in five different conference statistical categories. Mulder was named an ACWPC First Team All-American after garnering honorable mention as a sophomore.

BALL-ING OUT
Senior goalie Cassidy Ball shined in her first season as a starter last season, leading the MPSF with 134 saves and earning ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention. She enters the 2021 season with 190 career saves, good for 10th on the Bears' all-time list. Ball was named MPSF Player of the Week after Cal's season-opener last year, psoting 12 saves and scoring a goal in a victory over San Jose State.

STEADY SONNE
After surging during the second half of her sophomore season, Claire Sonne became a bona fide star last year. She was named an ACWPC Third Team All-American after recording 25 goals and 19 assists and finishing in the top-10 in three MPSF statistical categories. Sonne also is a terrific student, having earned ACWPC All-Academic Oustanding recognition in each of her first three seasons at Cal.

OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION UPDATE
Former Cal four-time All-American Anna "Nusi" Illes took center stage last month, helping Hungary win the Olympic Qualification Tournament. Illes scored nine goals during the tournament, aidng Hungary to nab an automatic berth to the Olympics when it qualified for the championship match. In the finals, Hungary defeated The Netherlands, which also earned a bid to the Summer Games. Senior Kitty Lynn Joustra was scheduled to compete for The Netherlands at the tournament but suffered an injury shortly before the event and was unable to play. Cal alum Dora Antal, a fellow four-time All-American and the Bears' all-time leading scorer, was an alternate for Hungary. 

TRIO OF BEARS LEAD CANADA TO OLYMPICS
Senior-to-be Emma Wright and alums Kindred Paul and Kelly McKee helped Team Canada qualify for the Olympics by advancing to the championship match of the 2019 Pan American Games. Wright, a three-time All-American who ranks ninth on the program's all-time scoring list with 154 career goals, took the 2020 season off to train with the Canadian National Team and is doing the same this season since the Olympics were suspended for a year. Paul and McKee were both All-Americans at Cal.

WINDES INDUCTED INTO USA WATER POLO HALL OF FAME
Former three-time All-American Elsie Windes was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony in December. Windes, was announced as part of the 2020 class in March, played at Cal from 2004-07 and went on to compete for Team USA in two Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal in 2008 and the gold in 2012.

ABOUT NO. 11 FRESNO STATE
• FSU opened the season with a 19-5 win over Fresno Pacific
• FR Apryl Gonzalez scored three goals to lead the Bulldogs against FPU
• SR Emily Nicholson and JR Daphne Guevremont were ACWPC All-Americans last season
 • CAL ALL-TIME VS. FRESNO STATE: 3-0