MPSF OPENER
AT SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.

SATURDAY, MARCH 4
NO. 3 CAL (12-3) VS. NO. 9 ARIZONA STATE (6-6) | 12:00 P.M. PT
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM


 

The No. 3 California women's water polo team boasts its highest national ranking of the season heading into Saturday's MPSF opener against No. 9 Arizona State. The Golden Bears (12-3) host the Sun Devils (6-6) at noon at Spieker Aquatics Complex looking for their sixth win in seven tries. Cal begins conference play fresh off a 3-1 weekend and a big 9-7 win over then-No. 3 UCLA in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational third-place game. Junior Ruby Swadling scored a team-high three goals for the second time this season and senior Isabel Williams finished one save shy of a season-high with 14 to lead the Bears over the Bruins for the second straight time dating back to last season. It was also the Bears' first win over a top-three opponent in 2023. They are already 1-0 against the Sun Devils this year, having held them to a season-low for goals in a 15-3 win at last month's Stanford Invitational.
 

BEAR NECESSITIES

BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL RECAP
The Bears began last weekend with an 8-3 win over No. 11 UC Davis on Friday before opening Saturday with a thrilling 11-10 overtime win over No. 5 Hawaii. Trailing the 'Bows by two goals in the final minutes of regulation, senior Cecily Turner scored on back-to-back possessions to tie it. Junior Mallory Reynoso also equalized with 25 seconds remaining and Swadling put in the go-ahead goal in overtime to complete the comeback win. Cal was ousted by No. 1 Stanford 11-6 in its next contest, setting up the 9-7, wire-to-wire victory over the Bruins in the third-place game the following day. Swadling (3) and Turner (2) combined for five goals, while Williams tallied 14 saves, equaling her total from last year's 10-9 MPSF Championship third-place win over UCLA.

SAVED BY THE ISABEL
After becoming just the second Cal goalie ever to be named a First Team All-American last year, Isabel Williams is off to a strong start again this season. The Severna Park, Md. native currently leads the MPSF with 148 saves and an average of 9.87 per game and sits ninth in steals with 17. She is coming off her third game of 14 or more saves this season, with her season-high of 15 coming against Fresno State on Jan. 22. With 440 career saves, she is quickly approaching former All-American goalkeeper Fana Fuqua (451) for No. 7 on the Bears' all-time saves list. In 2022, Williams led the MPSF with 10.7 per game and amassed 245 saves 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
Senior Cecily Turner has been a top threat for the Bears' offense, entering the week with a team-leading 23 goals for the year. She is also ninth in the conference with 15 assists, giving her a team-leading 38 points for the year. Turner began the month of February by registering five goals, four assists and three drawn exclusions at the Stanford Invitational, leading to an MPSF Player of the Week nomination.

Juniors Ruby Swadling, Maryn Dempsey and Reagan Whitney have all done their part as well, taking up the next three spots on the Bears' scoring list. Swadling has scored in five of her last six outings, including a season-best three goals in the win over UCLA to give her 22 on the year. Dempsey ranks third among Bears with 19 goals and leads the team in assists with 16. Whitney enters the weekend 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 Michigan on Feb. 4.

NEWCOMERS PUTTING IN WORK
In the Bears' 8-3 win over UC Davis last weekend, more than half the goals were scored by freshmen. It was the second time in three games that that was the case, as they also put in 11 of the team's season-high 19 in the win over California Baptist two games prior. Redshirt freshman Janna Tauscher is currently sixth on the team with 16 goals, trailed by freshmen Millie Quin (13) and Abbi Magee (12).

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. 9 ARIZONA STATE
• ASU has lost three straight, including a 7-6 loss to No. 10 UC Santa Barbara
• Fr. Juliette Dhalluin has seven goals over her last two games
• The Sun Devils scored a season-low in last month's 15-3 loss to Cal
• The Bears have won the last four meetings with the Sun Devils
   • CAL ALL-TIME VS. ARIZONA STATE: 32-9

STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).