Cal Opens NCAA Championship Against Hawaii

Catharyn Hayne / KLC fotos

Talia Fonseca and the Golden Bears will face fourth-seeded Hawaii in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals.

WPOLO5/7/2025 11:00 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Golden Bears Earned At-Large Bid, Will Make 11th Championship Appearance

BERKELEY – No. 4-ranked California will face fourth-seeded and fifth-ranked Hawaii in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship quarterfinals on Friday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. The Golden Bears earned an at-large bid following a third-place finish in the MPSF Championship in late April, and will make their 11th all-time NCAA Championship appearance, all since 2010.
 
The quarterfinal contest between Cal (19-5) and Hawaii (21-4) – which earned an automatic berth after winning the Big West Championship title on April 27 – starts at 11 a.m. PT. The teams clashed once prior this season on Feb. 22 when Hawaii won 12-11 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine to snap the Bears’ season-opening nine-match win streak.
 
With a win on Friday, Cal would advance to the NCAA Championship semifinal and face the winner of top-seeded Stanford or Wagner/McKendree at 9 a.m. PT Saturday. The championship match will air live on ESPNU at 9 a.m. PT Sunday.
 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP INFO
Dates: May 9-11, 2025
Location: IU Natatorium (Indianapolis, IN) | Host: Indiana University
Watch: NCAA.com
Live Stats: 6-8 Sports
2025 Season Stats: CalBears.com
NCAA Championship Bracket: NCAA.com
 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 7 – Play-In Game
3 p.m. PT – Wagner vs. McKendree
 
Friday, May 9 – Quarterfinals
9 a.m. PT – Game 1: No. 1 Stanford vs. TBD
11 a.m. PT – Game 2: No. 4 Hawaii vs. California
1 p.m. PT – Game 3: No. 2 UCLA vs. LMU
3 p.m. PT – Game 4: No. 3 USC vs. Harvard
 
Saturday, May 10 — Semifinals
9 a.m. PT – Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
11 a.m. PT – Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
 
Sunday, May 11 – Championship
9 a.m. PT – Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPNU)
 
BEAR NECESSITIES
REMATCH WITH HAWAII
Hawaii handed Cal its first loss of the 2025 season on Feb. 22, defeating the Bears 12-11 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine. It proved to be the Bears’ biggest test of the early season and was their lone loss in the first 13 games of the year. The contest featured four first-half ties before Cal took its first lead, 5-4, on the first of Julia Bonaguidi’s three goals just before halftime.
 
Bonaguidi scored the first goal of the fourth quarter to give Cal a 9-7 lead and put away her third of the game two and a half minutes later to make it 10-9. The Rainbow Wahine equalized a minute later, but Rozanne Voorvelt put in a clutch goal to once again put the Bears up 11-10. Hawaii netted the final two goals to come away with the win in a game that featured nine ties and two lead changes.
 
REPEAT RUN?
Cal finished the 2024 season as the NCAA runner-up after advancing to the title match for just the second time in program history. The Bears’ run through the 2024 NCAA Championship included a 14-7 quarterfinal win against Fresno State and a 9-6 victory over Hawaii in the semifinals before ultimately falling short with a 7-4 loss to top-ranked UCLA in the title game.
 
PRIMED AND READY
Cal proved it was worthy of an NCAA at-large bid with a competitive three days at the MPSF Championship in Los Angeles on April 25-27. After rolling past San Jose State 15-7 in the quarterfinals, the Bears pushed top-ranked UCLA to the brink in a 15-14 semifinal loss in the Bruins’ home pool the next day. Cal’s strong play continued into Sunday when it topped No. 2 USC 13-12 in the third-place game; it marked the Bears’ first victory over the Trojans since March 5, 2011.
 
STARS SHINING
Senior attacker Ruby Swadling highlighted six Golden Bears who collected All-MPSF accolades in late April prior to the MPSF Championship. Swadling – a Cutino Award Watch List member – was named to the All-MPSF First Team and leads the Bears with 55 goals this season. She also ranks among conference leaders in steals (32), sprint wins (14) and field blocks (12).
 
Swadling was flanked by fellow senior attacker Elena Flynn on the All-MPSF second team, senior utility Rozanne Voorvelt and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Talia Fonseca as All-MPSF honorable mentions, and freshmen Miriam Bogachenko and Rosalie Hassett on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women’s water polo, follow the Bears on X (@CalWWPolo) and Instagram (@CalWWPolo).