California
Harvard
3/14/2023 12:26 PM | Women's Water Polo
Bears 13-0 Against Teams Ranked Outside Of Top-2
AT SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
NO. 16-T HARVARD (16-2) AT NO. 3 CAL (13-4) | 5 P.M. PT
LIVE STATS
Coming off Saturday's home thriller against No. 2 USC that ended in a 15-14 overtime defeat, the No. 3 California women's water polo team takes a break from MPSF action when it welcomes No. 16-T Harvard to Spieker Aquatics Complex on Wednesday. The 5 p.m. mid-week match-up will be the first between the Golden Bears (13-4) and the Crimson (16-2) since 2017, when Cal improved to a 4-0 all-time series record with a 14-7 home win. The Bears have been competing at the highest level since downing then-No. 3 UCLA 9-7 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational a little over two weeks ago, led by senior goalkeeper Isabel Williams – who just moved to No. 7 all-time in career saves at Cal – and Ruby Swadling, who has six goals and five assists over her last two outings.
BEAR NECESSITIES
THRILLING COMEBACK EFFORT
In one of their biggest tests of the season, the Bears rose to the challenge against USC, led by junior All-American Ruby Swadling's career-high six goals. Cal fell behind by four goals in the first half, but used a 4-0 run to tie the game in the third. That was the first of six second-half equalizers. Trailing by two with just over a minute left in regulation, Swadling scored twice to force overtime. Maryn Dempsey's hat-trick-sealing goal early in the first extra session gave Cal its only lead of the day, 13-12. Isabel Williams later put in a dramatic tying 7-on-6 goal with 21 seconds to go in the second overtime period, but the Trojans scored in the final seconds to seal the win. Cecily Turner also scored three times, giving the Bears their first trio of hat tricks this season.
SAVED BY THE ISABEL
After becoming just the second Cal goalie ever to be named a First Team All-American last year, Isabel Williams has continued to shine at the heart of her team's defense this season. The Severna Park, Maryland, native leads the MPSF in saves per game by a wide margin, averaging 9.4 per contest. Her second-ranking 160 saves have increased her career total to 452, moving her just past former All-American goalkeeper Fana Fuqua for No. 7 on the Bears' all-time saves list. She also ranks in the conference's top-10 for steals with 22, including five over her last two outings. In the Feb. 26 win over the Bruins, she had her third game of 14 or more saves this season, with her season-high 15 coming against Fresno State on Jan. 22. In 2022, Williams led the MPSF with 10.7 saves per game and amassed 245 overall - the fourth-highest single-season mark in program history. After last season, she also spent time training with the U.S. National Team.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Seniors Cecily Turner and Ruby Swadling have been top threats for the Bears' offense, entering the week tied atop the team with 28 goals apiece. With 16 assists to Swadling's 15, Turner holds a slight edge for the team-lead in points. Coming off her fourth hat trick of the year, Turner has now scored multiple goals in four of her last five efforts. Swadling meanwhile followed up a season-high four assists in Cal's 17-11 MPSF-opening win over No. 9 ASU with a career-best six goals against USC.
Meanwhile, junior Maryn Dempsey continues leading the Bears in assists with 18. She also sits in third in both goals (24) and points (42). Fellow junior Reagan Whitney comes in fourth with 18 goals, 10 of which came over a three-game span highlighted by a career-best five goals in a 15-12 win over No. 6 Michigan on Feb. 4.
NEWCOMERS PUTTING IN WORK
The game against USC was the first all year in which a Cal freshman didn't find the back of the net. In the seven games prior to that, freshmen had accounted for 40 percent of the team's goals. Millie Quin led the way with 10 over that stretch, scoring a season-best four times in March 4's 17-11 win over ASU on her way to MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors. Abbi Magee and redshirt freshman Janna Tauscher both scored eight times over that same span. Quin and Tauscher are the Bears' leading freshman goalscorers with 18 apiece, while Magee has 13. On two occasions last month, more than half of Cal's goals were scored by its freshmen. They found the back of the net five times in the Bears' 8-3 win over UC Davis on Feb. 24 and 11 times in the 19-5 victory over California Baptist on Feb. 11.
BEARS VS. THE RANKINGS
Cal is now 13-0 against teams ranked No. 3 or worse and 0-4 against the top-two.
INSIDE THE LAIR: GROWING THE SPORT OF WATER POLO
Fana Fuqua and Isabel Williams have been both witnesses and instruments of change within the world of water polo, promoting interest, accessibility and diversity. Read the full feature story to learn more about their impact on the growth of the sport they love!
RUBY'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Attacker Ruby Swadling opted out of the 2021 season after earning a spot on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2020. She returned last season and emerged as one of the top players in the conference, totalling 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) to go along with 23 steals. Swadling earned ACWPC All-American honorable mention after the season. She has continued growing into one of the team's top contributors in 2023, currently just one goal shy of the team-lead with 16.
UP-AND-COMERS
The Bears were one of only two teams to place two players on the MPSF All-Newcomer last season when Rozanne Voorvelt and Jessie Rose both earned the honor. Voorvelt put up significant numbers during her freshman season, accumulating 14 goals, 17 assists and 16 field blocks. Rose broke into the Bears' starting lineup at the outset of the season and had one of the more memorable Cal goals in recent history when she converted in sudden victory overtime to lift the Bears to a victory over Stanford. Rose had six goals and 13 assists as a freshman last year.
COMING UP ROSES
Sophomore Rozanne Voorvelt followed up a promising freshman campaign with a successful summer playing for The Netherlands National Team. Voorvelt, along with former Cal center and four-time All-American Kitty Lynn Joustra, helped the Dutch win the bronze medal at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Voorvelt scored four goals in three games for The Netherlands.
STRONG START
The 2023 season got off to a promising start when the Bears defeated three top-10 opponents at the Bulldog Fest in Fresno. Cal opened the season by defeating No. 5 UC Irvine 15-10 then followed up with a 13-10 victory over No. 7 Michigan and a 16-10 triumph over No. 8 Fresno State. Seniors Shea Salvino and Cecily Turner and sophomore Rozanne Voorvelt each scored seven goals during the weekend, with Salvino being recognized as the MPSF Player of the Week for her efforts. The Bears had 14 different players score goals during the tournament, including the first career goals for freshmen Millie Quin, Janna Tauscher and Abbi Magee.
AMONG THE ELITE
Cal is one of the top programs in the country, having advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship in six of the past seven non-COVID seasons. In each of those seasons, the Bears have finished in the top-4 in the national rankings. The program has also produced 21 Olympians, including six that competed in Tokyo in 2021.
CLASSROOM PROWESS
Not only are the Bears reaching lofty heights in the pool, they are doing so in the classroom as well. Cal had a whopping 20 student-athletes earn ACWPC All-Academic Awards last season, and have had double-digit honorees seven times in the previous eight years. Senior Sydney Hammill, who has also won the Golden Bear Award for having the top GPA on the team in each of the past two seasons, collected her third consecutive ACWPC All-Academic Outstanding honor last year for having a cumulative GPA over 3.71.
WOMEN'S SPORTS AMPLIFICATION CHALLENGE
Cal Athletics is celebrating 50 years of Title IX by joining schools across the country in the Women's Sports Amplification Challenge. To participate, simply find the "Check-In Here" QR Code located just inside the main entrance at Spieker Aquatics Complex and scan to boost Cal's rank and be eligible to win Amazon gift cards.
ABOUT NO. 16-T HARVARD
• 16-2 start tied for second-best in program history
• Upset No. 9 ASU 13-10 in overtime on Saturday
• Four straight wins against top-25 teams
• Scored 20+ goals three different times
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. HARVARD: 4-0
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).
