April 30, 2001
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MPSF TOURNAMENT IN REVIEW: The Cal women's water polo team (17-9, 8-3 MPSF) ended their season after placing fourth in the MPSF tournament, April 27-29, held at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Bears got over their first hurdle when they defeated San Jose State, 8-4, in Friday's games to advance to the Final Four. That would be their last win, however, as the Bears were taken down by No. 1 and undefeated Stanford in overtime, 6-4, April 28, before falling to No. 3 USC in the third-place match, 11-8, April 29. The Bears had two players, however, that garnered MPSF All-tournament selections. Freshman Ericka Lorenz earned First Team All-MPSF Tournament, while junior Julia Cesnik earned Second Team All-MPSF Tournament. The Bears wrap up a disappointing season in which they could not defeat one team with a higher ranking all season. Cal's nine losses on the season came at the hands of three teams: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, and No. 3 USC, each of whom defeated the Bears three times this year.
SAN JOSE STATE IN REVIEW: The No. 4-ranked women's water polo team jumped over its first hurdle of the MPSF Tournament by knocking out the San Jose State Spartans, 8-4, in its first game of the tournament. Junior Julia Cesnik exploded for a season-high four goals to lead the Bears past the Spartans. Freshman Ericka Lorenz also added two goals for Cal. Fana Fuqua did an outstanding job in front of the cage, notching 12 saves on the afternoon. Cal tallied a perfect 3-0 record against the Spartans this season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they met with No. 1 and undefeated Stanford for a chance to advance to the championship match.
STANFORD IN REVIEW: After advancing to the MPSF quarterfinal match, Cal could not manage to upset undefeated Stanford, as the Bears were defeated 6-4, and sent to the consolation match for a chance at third place. This defensive battle was hard-fought as the Bears put everything on the line. Four players scored goals for the Bears, as Cal and Stanford ended regulation tied at 3 goals apiece. With two overtime periods to play, Stanford outscored the Bears in the final two stanzas 3-1, as the Bears could not hold on to the victory. Ericka Lorenz, Julia Cesnik, Julie Arnold and Brenna Fleener all contributed goals for Cal, while Fana Fuqua tallied 8 saves in front of the cage. In their closest game of the season, Cal managed to take the No. 1-ranked Cardinal to the wire, yet Stanford's efforts in the final minutes pulled them past the Bears. The Bears were sent to take on No. 3 USC, Sunday, April 29, for a chance to salvage a third-place finish.
USC IN REVIEW: Cal finished its season with a fourth-place finish at the MPSF tournament in Hawaii. The Bears reached the tournament's quarterfinals after defeating San Jose State, 8-4, on April 27. Cal went up against undefeated Stanford, Saturday, April 28, only to lose 6-4 in overtime. Trying to salvage a third-place finish and possibly end the season with a victory, the Bears had to go up against No. 3-ranked USC. In their last two meetings, the Trojans defeated the Bears by identical 10-8 scores. The outcome would be a goal away from an identical three-peat, as USC would hand Cal an 11-8 defeat, sending the Bears home with a fourth place finish. Cal opened up the match by leading 1-0 after the first quarter. USC would take charge in the second quarter, scoring five goals to the Bears' two, and taking a 5-3 lead after the end of the first half. Cal would come out fired up in the third quarter, scoring three goals of their own, yet USC would almost match them goal-for-goal, scoring three more to take a 8-7 lead with one quarter remaining. The Trojans would continue their assault and outscore the Bears 3-1 in the fourth quarter to finish the game with an 11-8 victory. Ericka Lorenz led all Bears with three goals, while Brenna Fleener added two. Also contributing a goal were Heather Petri, Julia Cesnik and Julie Arnold. Fana Fuqua also recorded nine saves in the match.
DID YOU KNOW: Cal's lowest-scoring wins came with 8-3 and 8-4 victories, both against the San Jose State Spartans. In their first meeting, Feb. 11, the Bears defeated the Spartans, 8-3. In the first round of the MPSF tournament, April 27, Cal defeated San Jose State again, 8-4. It also marked the third time that Cal defeated the Spartans this season, while Cal's lowest score in a winning game all season was eight goals. In winning games this season, the Bears averaged 12.35 goals per game. In losing games, the Bears averaged just 5.0 goals per game. The Bears only losses have come at the hands of teams ranked higher than Cal, as the Bears lost three times to Stanford, UCLA and USC this year.
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