Courtesy: Cal Athletics
STANFORD INVITATIONAL
AT AVERY AQUATIC CENTER | STANFORD, CALIF.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
NO. 4 CAL (5-1) VS. NO. 6 MICHIGAN (5-2) | 10:50 A.M. PT
LIVE STATS
NO. 4 CAL VS. NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE (3-1) | 4:30 P.M. PT
LIVE STATS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
NO. 4 CAL AT NO. 1 STANFORD (3-0) | 12:30 P.M. PT
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
For the second straight weekend, the No. 4 California women’s water polo team will be one of four top-10 programs competing in a two-day tournament as it heads to Avery Aquatic Center for the Stanford Invitational. The Bears, who enter the third week of competition with a 5-1 record, get a Sunday rematch with the No. 1 Cardinal, which handed Cal its first loss of the season this past weekend at the Cal Cup. Joining the MPSF powerhouses are No. 6 Michigan and No. 10 Arizona State, both of whom the Bears will face on Saturday. Cal will look to improve upon another strong start which has seen it win five of its first six outings for the 14th time in 15 seasons.
The Golden Bears went 2-1 in their first home action of the season at Spieker Aquatics Complex, with wins of 15-4 over No. 17 San Jose State and 14-7 against No. 12 UC Davis separated by a hard-fought 9-6 defeat to No. 1 Stanford. Senior goalkeeper Isabel Williams was magnificent once again, racking up 11 saves in just three quarters in the win over the Spartans and helping the Bears stay within striking distance of the Cardinal until late in the game with 14 more saves. On the offensive end, redshirt freshman Jenna Tauscher recorded her first career hat trick versus the Spartans while Maryn Dempsey added three goals of her own against SJSU. In the win over UCD, junior Reagan Whitney helped orchestrate a 5-0 run out of the gates with two early goals while also adding two assists.
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 in saves by a wide margin with 65 – 22 more than Indiana’s Mary Askew’s second-highest total. After starting the season with 31 saves over the first three games, she one-upped herself with 34 more last weekend, including a season-best 14 in a valiant effort against No. 1 Stanford. Averaging 10.8 saves per game this season, Williams has moved into sole possession of eighth place on the Bears’ all-time saves list with 358 in her career. In 2022, she 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, Williams also spent time training with the U.S. National Team.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
The trio of Maryn Dempsey, Cecily Turner and Rozanne Voorvelt is currently tied for the team-lead in goals with 10 each. Voorvelt is also tied with Ruby Swadling for first among Bears and fourth in the conference with five earned exclusions.
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.
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. 6 MICHIGAN
• Cal beat Michigan 13-10 two weeks ago, its fourth straight win over the Wolverines
• Kata Utassy scored five goals against the Bears and won her second straight CWPA Player of the Week award
• G Alex Brown and Brooke Ingram also earned second consecutive Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN: 15-2
ABOUT NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE
• The Sun Devils play their first games since the ASU Cross Conference Challenge
• ASU’s only loss is an 11-10 overtime setback against No. 6 Michigan
• Luca Petovary and Juliette Dhalluin were named MPSF Player and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, after the first week of the season
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. ARIZONA STATE: 31-9
ABOUT NO. 1 STANFORD
• The Cardinal is the defending NCAA champion
• Stanford features four returning ACWPC All-Americans
• Center Aria Fischer is the reigning MPSF Player of the Week
• The Cardinal is 2-1 against Cal since the start of last season
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. STANFORD: 23-63