The No. 5 Cal women's water polo team heads to Los Angeles this weekend for the annual MPSF Tournament with a lot at stake. The Bears (14-7) open the tourney with a matchup against No. 4 Arizona State. The winner of the first-round game - which is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PT on Friday - will likely have a leg up over the other for an at-large berth in next month's NCAA Championships. The teams have played twice this season, with Cal winning 10-4 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in February and the Sun Devils prevailing 7-6 last month at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

 

CAL IN THE MPSF TOURNAMENT
The Bears are 27-21 all-time in the MPSF Tournament, including a run to the championship game in 2015. Cal won the MPSF Tournament title in 1999 and 2011. The Bears beat Arizona State in the first round last season before losing by one goal to USC in the semifinals. 

FOLLOWING THE MPSF TOURNAMENT
Every match of the MPSF Tournament will be streamed live by FloSwimming.com (subscription required). A link can be found on the schedule page at CalBears.com. Live updates will also be available at Cal's Twitter page (@CalWWPolo).

BEARS AND SUN DEVILS
The Bears' 7-6 loss to Arizona State on March 25 was another in what has become a long history of competitive matches between the teams. Thirteen of the past 14 matches have been decided by three goals or less, and nine of those have been decided by one goal. Cal has played the Sun Devils in the first round of each of the past two MPSF Tournaments and won each game by a single goal.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
A couple of Bears have been moving up the ranks of some hallowed all-time lists this season. Senior goalie Madeline Trabucco took over fourth place on Cal's all-time saves list on April 15 during her career-high 12-save performance against the Trojans. She now has 548 in her career. She also ranks second on the program's all-time list for games played by a goalie with 97. Junior driver Dora Antal, meanwhile, has moved into a tie for fourth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list with 189 in her career. Finally, senior center Emily Loughlin needs just two goals to reach the 100-mark for her career. Earlier this season, junior Anna Illes passed the 100-goal mark and now has 121 in her career. 

HUNGARIAN OLYMPIANS RETURN IN STYLE
After a year off to play for their native Hungary in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Cal juniors Dora Antal and Anna Illes have spent the season reminding the rest of collegiate water polo that they are two of the best players in the country. Antal has a team-high 45 goals this season, and her 2.25 scoring average ranks fourth in the MPSF. Illes, meanwhile, is tied for second on the team with 32 goals. 

OLYMPIC STAFF
The Bears feature an All-Olympic coaching staff, with head coach Coralie Simmons leading the program and assistant coach Christopher Lee and volunteer assistant coach Heather Petri also on board. Simmons won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics while Lee has helped the U.S. win the gold medal in each of the past two Olympics as a video analyst, and has also served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Development Program and as an assistant for the U.S. Cadet National Team. Petri, meanwhile, is a former Cal All-American and the only four-time female Olympian in any sport in Cal history. She helped the US. win the gold medal in 2012, silver in 2000 and 2008 and bronze in 2004.

2017 MPSF TOURNAMENT
FRIDAY, APRIL 28
No. 7 CSU Bakersfield (12-15) vs. No. 2 Stanford (18-2), 11 a.m.
No. 6 San Jose State (10-17) vs. No. 3 USC (26-2), 12:45 p.m.
No. 5 Cal (14-7) vs. No. 4 Arizona State (19-6), 2:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
CSU Bakersfield/Stanford loser vs. San Jose St/USC loser, 11 a.m.
CSU Bakersfield/Stanford winner vs. San Jose St./USC winner, 12:45 p.m.
Cal/Arizona State winner vs. No. 1 UCLA (20-1), 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 30
Fifth Place Game, 11 a.m.
Third Place Game, 12:45 p.m.
Championship, 2:30 p.m.