As the MPSF championship tournament approaches, all eyes are on Cal women’s water polo. The Bears have the experience of a successful regular season under their belts, as well as a roster filled with talented players, which puts them in position to make a deep run in the tournament and compete for the championship title. 

At this point, the Bears are concentrating all of their efforts on the MPSF championships, which will be held by San Jose State University from April 28-30. The fourth-seeded Bears will play the fifth-seeded Hoosiers on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round.

Cal has had an impressive season so far, posting an overall record of 17-8 and a conference record of 3-3. Its only conference losses came against top-ranked Stanford, USC in an overtime match and more recently, UCLA. However, the Bears have marked an impressive win over conference opponent UCLA earlier in the season.

Leading the charge for Cal is its star goalkeeper, Isabel Williams. Williams has been a dominant force in the net all season, with a save percentage of .559 and an average of 9.25 saves per game. She has been instrumental in keeping the Bears in close matches and securing important victories.

Offensively, Cal boasts a well-rounded attack with multiple players capable of scoring. Junior Ruby Swadling leads the team in goals with 41 on the season, while senior Cecily Turner is not far behind with 38. 

As the tournament approaches, the Bears will be looking to continue their strong play and make a statement against their conference opponents. They will be competing against some tough competition, including Stanford, USC and UCLA, who are all ranked in the top five nationally.

Assistant coach Heather Petri is confident in the team’s abilities and is excited for the challenge ahead. 

“The preparation leading into MPSF has been about reviewing the opponents we may face and fine tuning the execution of our fundamentals, so that we are playing our best water polo of the season now,” Petri said. “We will focus on our communication throughout the tournament to ensure that we play together as a team.” 

The Bears will open their tournament play against Indiana and then go on to play the No. 1 seed, USC, the next day. 

The game will be an exciting matchup between two talented teams vying for a spot in the semifinals. Indiana, the fifth seed, enters the game with an overall record of 17-12 and a conference record of 2-4. The Hoosiers have had a challenging season, facing tough competition from top-ranked teams, but they are a resilient team and are capable of pulling off an upset.

The key for Indiana will be to limit the Bears’ offensive attack and capitalize on their own opportunities. The quarterfinal matchup between Cal and Indiana is sure to be an exciting game, with both teams hungry for a spot in the semifinals. The Bears come into the game as the favorite, but Indiana will be looking to pull off an upset and advance to the next round.

As the Bears focus all their attention on the tournament, they are determined to continue their strong play and make a deep run in the championship. All eyes will be on the Bears as they take on Indiana in what is sure to be an exciting matchup between two talented teams.

As the Bears take on their conference opponents and vie for the championship title, fans hope that, with their talent and determination, Cal will go all the way and bring home the trophy.