NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
At Canham Natatorium - Ann Arbor, Mich.
FRIDAY, MAY 6 - QUARTERFINALS
No. 7 Michigan (26-8) vs. No. 3 Cal (16-5), 6 p.m.
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS

SATURDAY, MAY 7- SEMIFINALS
Michigan/Cal winner vs. Fresno State/USC winner, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 8 - CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m
All times ET



BEARS AND THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Bears are making their eighth all-time appearance at the NCAA Championship and first since 2019. Cal has advanced to at least the semifinals of every NCAA Championship in which it has participated, including its best finish in 2011 when the Bears went to the final before falling to Stanford. That tournament was also the last time the NCAA Championship was hosted by Michigan. Cal is 10-8 all-time at the NCAA Championship.

PLANTING THE SEED
The Bears earned the No. 3 seed in this year's NCAA Championship, tying their second-highest seed in program history. Cal was also the No. 3 seed in 2009 and 2018. The Bears' highest seed came when they were No. 2 in 2011, when they won the MPSF championship and advanced to the title match before falling to Stanford.

MICHIGAN MEMORIES
Cal's best performance at the NCAA Championship came in the same pool as this year's tournament - Canham Natatorium at the University of Michigan in 2011. Cal entered as the No. 2 seed and advanced to the national championship match for the only time in program history after beating UC San Diego in the quarterfinals and No. 3 UCLA in the semifinals. The Bears ended up falling to No. 1 Stanford in the title match. Cal head coach Coralie Simmons also has good memories of Ann Arbor - she led UCLA to the national championship there in 1997.

EARNING IT
The Bears are the only team in the country that has faced a ranked opponent in every game they have played this season. Fifteen of Cal's 21 opponents have been ranked in the top-10, and each of Cal's five losses have come to teams ranked in the top-6. The Bears also have two top-5 victories on their resume - over No. 2 Stanford on Feb. 5 and No. 3 UCLA at last month's MPSF Championships.

CAL SCOOPS UP ALL-MPSF HONORS
Three time All-American and 2020 Olympian (The Netherlands) Kitty Lynn Joustra led the way for the Bears on the 2022 All-MPSF Team, earning her fourth consecutive all-conference nod and her first First Team honor. Junior goalie Isabel Williams was also placed on the First Team, while three-time All-American and 2020 Olympian Emma Wright (Canada) received Second Team recognition. Freshmen Rozanne Voorvelt and Jessie Rose were named to the MPSF All-Newcomer Team.

OLYMPIC RECAP
The Bears had six current and former student-athletes compete at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year, including two who took home medals. Roser Tarrago, who played at Cal from 2014-15 and part of 2017, won the silver medal with Spain while Anna Illes, a 2018 Cal grad, captured the bronze medal with her native Hungary. Current Cal center Kitty Lynn Joustra played for The Netherlands, who took sixth place, while Emma Wright and former Bears Kindred Paul and Kelly McKee placed seventh with Team Canada.

THE WRIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY
Emma Wright is arguably playing her best water polo during her accomplished career at Cal. She was named to the MPSF All-Tournament team after totalling nine goals, three assists and three field blocks in two games, including a win over then-No. 3 UCLA. Wright ranks fourth in the MPSF at 3.7 points per game and eighth at 2.3 goals per game, and in her last eight games is averaging 4.8 points and 2.9 goals per contest. Wright has also moved into fourth place on the program's all-time scoring list with 202 goals, and is just the 47th MPSF player ever to notch 200 career goals.

IZZY'S TIME
In her first season as a starter, junior Isabel Williams is stating her case as the best goalie in the country. She was named to the All-MPSF First Team and leads the conference at 10.6 saves per game. Williams has twice been named MPSF Player of the Week this season and ranks fourth on the program's single-season saves list with 223 so far this year.

IN WITH THE NEW (AND OLD)
Cal's coaching staff is a mix of veteran and new faces as four-time Olympian Heather Petri returns as a full-time assistant while Lance Morrison joins the Bears as well. Petri has spent time as both a full-time and volunteer assistant during head coach Coralie Simmons' six-year tenure at Cal, while Morrison comes to the Bears after a successful run as the head coach at prep powerhouse Miramonte High School. Petri was a two-time All-American as a student-athlete at Cal and went on to become the only four-time female Olympian in Cal history. She's also a four-time Olympic medalist, with a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

ABOUT MICHIGAN
• Michigan is making its sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship
• The Wolverines are 6-15 all-time at the NCAA Championship
• Three-time All-American Maddy Steere was named the CWPA Player of the Year for the second time in her career.
• All-American Maddie O'Reilly leads the CWPA with 72 goals and 67 assists.
• Michigan is playing host to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2011
• The Wolverines have appeared in 11 NCAA Championships all-time
• Michigan has six victories over top-10 teams this season