No. 4 Bears Celebrate Seniors At Spieker

NO. 13 INDIANA (9-13, 1-9 MPSF) AT NO. 4 CAL (9-6, 4-6 MPSF)
SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
SATURDAY, APRIL 24 | 1 P.M. PT | LIVE STATS
SUNDAY, APRIL 25 | 12 P.M. PT | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

The No. 4 Cal women's water polo team closes out the regular season this weekend with a pair of games against No. 13 Indiana at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Sunday's game marks the final home game in the careers of the Bears' four seniors - Brigit Mulder, Georgia Gilmore, Cassidy Ball and Claire Sonne. They will be honored in a pregame ceremony. This weekend's games are closed to the general public due to COVID-19 health protocols but Sunday's game will be streamed live on CalBears.com, and the senior day ceremony will be included in the broadcast.

 
BEAR NECESSITIES

SENIOR MOMENTS
Cal's impressive senior class will make its last appearance at Spieker Aquatics Complex this weekend. The class features three ACWPC All-Americans. Goalie Cassidy Ball is especially leaving her mark in Berkeley as she ranks eighth on the program's all-time saves list with 295 in her career. Brigit Mulder is a two-time All-American, including a First Team nod last season. Claire Sonne was a Third Team All-American selection last season and Ball received honorable mention. Georgia Gilmore was coming off her best season with 12 goals as a junior and had scored six goals in the first four games this year before an injury sidleined her for the rest of the year. All four seniors are ACWPC All-Academic honorees.

THE KIDS CAN PLAY
Cal's eight-member freshmen class has become an integral part of the team's success. Reagan Whitney and Mallory Reynoso each won MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors earlier this season, and Whitney is third on the Bears with 19 goals. Reynoso is fourth in the MPSF with 10 field blocks and Maryn Dempsey is tied for fourth on the team with 15 goals while also adding eight assists and 11 steals. Demspey also notched a hat trick in her collegiate debut at Fresno State - the first Cal freshman to record at least three goals in her debut since Cal all-time leading scorer Dora Antal in 2014.

MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2021 MPSF Championships will take place next week at Arizona State and the Bears already are locked into the 4-5 game against the Sun Devils on Friday at 1 p.m. If Cal wins both of its games this weekend against Indiana, the Bears will be the No. 4 seed and ASU will be No. 5. If the Bears were to lose one or both games this weekend, Cal would drop to No. 5 while the Sun Devils would become the No. 4 seed. Either way, the Bears and Devils are guaranteed to play each other on Friday.

DODSON RETURNS AS HEAD COACH
Former Cal attacker Taylor Dodson will make her first appearance in Berkeley as the head coach of the Hoosiers. Dodson, who played at Cal from 2010-13, served as an assistant at Indiana for two years before becoming head coach before the 2020 season. Dodson was a four-time All-Academic pick during her time with the Bears and helped Cal advance to the NCAA title match in 2011.

LORENZ VOTED INTO USA WATER POLO HALL OF FAME
Former Cal two-time All-American and Olympic medalist Ericka Lorenz has been selected as part of the 2021 class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Lorenz won the silver medal as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 2000 then followed up with a bronze in 2004. As a freshman at Cal in 2001, she was tabbed a First Team All-American after leading the squad with 44 goals.

OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION UPDATE
Former Cal four-time All-American Anna "Nusi" Illes took center stage last month, helping Hungary win the Olympic Qualification Tournament. Illes scored nine goals during the tournament, aiding Hungary to nab an automatic berth to the Olympics when it qualified for the championship match. In the finals, Hungary defeated The Netherlands, which also earned a bid to the Summer Games. Senior Kitty Lynn Joustra was scheduled to compete for The Netherlands at the tournament but suffered an injury shortly before the event and was unable to play. Cal alum Dora Antal, a fellow four-time All-American and the Bears' all-time leading scorer, was an alternate for Hungary. 

ABOUT NO. 13 INDIANA
• IU has two players in the MPSF top-10 in scoring - Izzy Mandema and Tina Doherty
• Zoe Crouch leads the MPSF with 1.8 assists per game
• IU joined the MPSF in 2018; won its first-ever conference game over San Jose St. on April 17
 • CAL ALL-TIME VS. INDIANA: 14-1