Bears Set For Big Splash

BEARS SET FOR BIG SPLASH
No. 5 Cal Closes Regular Season At No. 3 Stanford

AT AVERY AQUATIC CENTER | STANFORD, CALIF.

FRIDAY, APR. 19
NO. 5 CAL (14-5, 3-2) VS NO. 3 STANFORD (16-4, 4-1) | 5 PM PT
LIVE STATS | WATCH ON PAC-12 NETWORK

The No. 5 California women's water polo team closes out the regular season Friday in the 2024 edition of the Big Splash at No. 3 Stanford. This will be the third official meeting of the year between the two long-time rivals. The Cardinal came away with wins of 8-6 at the Stanford Invitational on Feb. 3 and 7-6 in the Barbara Kalbus third-place game on Feb. 25. Cal goalkeeper Isabel Williams is on pace to become the second player in program history to reach 800 career saves on Friday, currently sitting at 791 saves with a season average of 12.2 per game. The Golden Bears are 3-4 against top-5 teams this year.

BEAR NECESSITIES

LAST TIME OUT
The Bears went 1-1 in their final two home games of the regular season last weekend, nearly upsetting No. 1 UCLA in a 7-6 defeat on Apr. 13 before downing No. 17 San Jose State 16-9 roughly 24 hours later on Senior Day. Against the Bruins, neither team was able to go up by more than two goals until UCLA scored two in a row in the fourth quarter. The Bears battled back behind a hat trick by senior Elena Flynn, but came up a goal short. In the win over the Spartans, four Cal players recorded hat tricks, led by senior Maddie DeMattia's career high of four goals. Williams finished with 12 saves.

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, currently leading the conference with career-best marks of 12.2 saves per game and a .659 save percentage. Williams has reached double-digit saves in 15 of 19 games and has tied her career high of 18 saves twice this season. Both times, it led to her being named the MPSF Player of the Week, an honor she has earned on three occasions this season and five times in her career. At 791 career saves, she recently moved to No. 2 all time at Cal and is closing in on Stephanie Peckham (816) for the top spot. 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, beating out Stanford (3) for the fewest in the nation. Cal has also held opponents to five goals or fewer on seven occasions. The Bears also lead the MPSF in goals allowed per game (6.5) despite being the only top-5 team in the country to play solely against ranked opponents.

MADDIE IN THE MIDDLE
One of the Bears' most effective options in the middle, Maddie DeMattia has been enjoying the best offensive stretch of her career. Over the past six games, the Simi Valley native has had two hat tricks and four multi-goal efforts, totaling 12 goals. DeMattia ranks sixth in the MPSF in drawn exclusions (31) and has moved to fourth on the team in scoring with a career-high 19 goals on the year.

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 all 19 games this season, putting in 11 multi-goal efforts for a team-leading and career high-tying total of 34 goals.

IMPACTFUL NEWCOMERS
Cal's newcomers have made a big splash this year, with first-year members of the program accounting for 80 of the team's 213 goals. The group is led by two-time All-American and UC Irvine transfer Elena Flynn, who has found the back of the net 33 times and leads the team with three four-goal performances. She was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week on March 12 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 26 goals, having poured in four hat tricks this year. Fellow freshman Julia Bonaguidi – who spent time with Team USA's senior squad for an exhibition series in Australia last year – has totaled 10 goals that were scored in nine different contests.
*2024 Cal Season Stats

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.

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 held that spot for a total of three weeks.

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