California Golden Bears Athletics
California
USC
3/22/2024 2:26 PM | Women's Water Polo
Bears Carry 3-Game Win Streak Into MPSF Showdown
AT UYTENGSU AQUATICS CENTER
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
SATURDAY, MAR. 23
NO. 2 CAL (11-3, 1-0) VS NO. 5 USC (13-4, 0-0) | 12 PM PT
LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE (PAC-12 NETWORK)
Following an undefeated three-game home stand, the California women's water polo team is back on the road this weekend to face No. 5 USC for the first time this season. The Golden Bears (11-3, 1-0) enter their second MPSF contest boasting a No. 2 national ranking for the second straight week. During its current three-game win streak, Cal defeated then-No. 2 Hawaii 9-8 for its biggest win of the year and followed it up with a 17-5 thrashing of No. 15 Indiana in its conference opener. Senior goalkeeper Isabel Williams tied a season high with 18 saves against the Hoosiers, leading to her second straight MPSF Player of the Week award. In their two most recent meetings with the Trojans (13-4, 0-0), the Bears nearly upset them in a 15-14 overtime defeat last March in Berkeley and were defeated 16-10 in the MPSF Semifinals in April.
BEAR NECESSITIES
PERFECT HOME STAND
The Bears went 3-0 at home to open the month of March, dominating on both ends of the pool in blowout wins of 19-4 over No. 20 Pacific and 17-5 against Indiana. On March 10, Cal earned its second top-three win of the season, quickly jumping out to a 5-0 lead over No. 3 Hawaii in front of an electric Spieker Aquatics Complex crowd. The Rainbow Wahine inched their way back into the game, but Elena Flynn's fourth goal in the final frame proved to be the winner, thanks to a clutch save by Williams on Hawaii's final shot attempt.
SAVED BY THE ISABEL
All year long, Cal's two-time ACWPC All-American goalkeeper has continued to produce at the most prolific rate of her career. Williams' 9.4 saves per game average already ranks first all time at Cal, but it's a mark that has continued to rise after she reached double-digit saves in 13 of the first 14 games of the season for a conference-leading average of 12.7 per game and career-best .685 save percentage. Williams has tied her career high of 18 saves twice this season. That includes her most recent outing against Indiana, which led to her third MPSF Player of the Week award of the season and fifth of her career. At 737 career saves, she has moved to No. 3 all time at Cal and is 22 away from tying Evi Schüller for second in program history. Williams is the only Bear goalkeeper to earn multiple All-MPSF First Team selections and was recently named to the Cutino Award Watch List for the second straight year.
DEFENSIVE CLINIC
Cal's defense has been at the center of its success so far this season. The Bears have allowed double-digit goals just once and have held opponents to five goals or fewer in seven of their 14 outings, both MPSF bests. They also lead the conference in goals allowed per game (6.1) despite being the only top-4 team to play solely against ranked opponents.
DEMPSEY LEADING THE WAY
Following a sophomore season in 2022 that was cut short due to injury, Maryn Dempsey earned her second MPSF All-Conference accolade as an Honorable Mention in 2023 after finishing third on the team with 34 goals. The Murrieta native is the only Bear that has scored in every game this season, putting in nine multi-goal efforts in 14 outings for a team-leading total of 25 goals.
IMPACTFUL NEWCOMERS
Cal's newcomers have made a big splash this year, with first-year members of the program accounting for 62 of the team's 164 goals, or 37.8%. Two-time All-American and UC Irvine transfer Elena Flynn has found the back of the net 25 times, tying Dempsey for the team lead. Flynn was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week after leading the Bears with four goals in the win over Hawaii.
Former Netherlands youth national team member Feline Voordouw is the Bears' third-leading scorer with 18 goals. She has reached four goals on two occasions, second only to Flynn's three. Fellow freshman Julia Bonaguidi – who spent time with Team USA's senior squad for an exhibition series in Australia last year – has totaled nine goals that were scored in eight different contests.
*2024 Cal Season Stats
MADDIE IN THE MIDDLE
Maddie DeMattia has been one of the Bears' most effective options in the middle. The senior from Simi Valley ranks fourth in the MPSF in drawn exclusions (26) and has scored 10 times, securing her first hat trick in Cal's last game against Indiana.
TROJAN TREND
This Saturday, Cal will find itself in a rare position facing a Trojan team that is three spots below the Bears in the national rankings. The last time Cal defeated the Trojans was on March 5, 2011 in a game where Stephanie Peckham had 20 saves to anchor an 8-3 Bear victory in Berkeley. In 27 meetings since then, Cal has owned the higher ranking on four occasions, each time playing as the nation's second-ranked team against No. 3 USC.
NATIONAL POWERHOUSE
Cal began the year with a No. 4 national ranking (Collegiate Water Polo Association), making it 14 straight years with a top-four ranking in the preseason. The Bears moved up to No. 2 following the second week of the season – earning its first top-two ranking since February of 2022 – and has remained there for the past two weeks.
2023 REWIND
After beginning the 2023 season with a 15-4 record, Cal went on to advance to its fifth NCAA Championship in the last six non-COVID years and finished at 19-10 overall. Highlights included a thrilling 11-10 overtime win against No. 5 Hawaii that helped get the Bears into the Barbara Kalbus Invitational third-place game, in which they took down No. 3 UCLA 9-7. Cal later defeated UCLA 12-11 in the MPSF Championships Third-Place Game behind four goals from graduated senior Cecily Turner and a late game-winner by Claire Rowell. Williams finished with a huge 14 saves in both wins over the Bruins. Turner and Ruby Swadling ended the year with team-highs of 47 and 45 goals, respectively. Williams set a career best with an MPSF-leading 266 saves.
BEARS TO HOST 2024 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
For the first time in program history, Cal women's water polo will host the NCAA Championship at Spieker Aquatics Complex, which takes place on May 10-12.
THE RETURNERS
Dempsey (34 goals) is the team's leading returning goal scorer, who is coming off a year in which she earned her second career All-MPSF accolade. Other notable returners include Rozanne Voorvelt (31 goals) – who helped The Netherlands take bronze at the 2022 FINA World Championship – Reagan Whitney (23), Janna Tauscher (20), Maddie DeMattia (13), and last year's freshman standouts Abbi Magee (17) and Claire Rowell (16). DeMattia ended her junior campaign with 62 earned exclusions, good for second in the MPSF. Rowell was an All-MPSF Newcomer Team selection.
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
The Bears bolstered their offense with the addition of two-time All-American attacker Elena Flynn, who transferred from UC Irvine following a stellar sophomore season. In 2023, Flynn led the Anteaters with 57 goals, earning All-Big West First Team, All-America Second Team and NCAA All-Tournament Second Team honors. Cal also added seven freshmen, including USA Youth National Team member Julia Bonaguidi (The Bishop's School/San Diego), USA Cadet Women's Kate Meyer (San Marcos/Santa Barbara) and Netherlands National Youth Team player Feline Voordouw (Sint Joris College/Neede, Gelderland).
HALL OF FAME COACHING STAFF
Cal head coach Coralie Simmons and associate head coach Heather Petri both received significant milestone recognition in 2023. Simmons – one of the great trailblazers of the women's water polo world who earned two NCAA Player of the Year awards and won three NCAA Championships and an Olympic silver medal with Team USA – was one of five members in the 39th induction class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Her 123 wins at Cal rank second in program history. Petri – the only four-time female Olympian in Cal Athletics history – was named to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Joining them on the staff for the third straight year is assistant coach Lance Morrison, who played Division I water polo at Pacific.
BRAINY BEARS
Cal's excelled in the classroom once again in 2023, being recognized for the largest increase in cumulative GPA (7.1%) of any Bear program. 17 players earned ACWPC All-Academic recognition, with a program record six Bears garnering outstanding status for averaging above a 3.70 GPA. Another all-time best was set with 15 Bears earning MPSF All-Academic honors.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).
