This post was updated March 7 at 1:56 a.m.

Some games can blend into the background.

But not a rematch of last year’s national championship.

In the rivalry’s 80th edition, No. 4 UCLA women’s water polo (11-3, 1-0 MPSF) will face No. 5 California (12-1, 1-0) this Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Center in the teams’ return to MPSF action.

“Cal is coming to town next week for a conference game,” said coach Adam Wright. “It’s a really good team, and we’ve got to get ourselves ready for sure.”

The two teams have shared a storied rivalry since women’s water polo joined the NCAA in 2001. The last time the Bruins faced the Golden Bears was in the 2024 NCAA championship final, where UCLA took down Cal 7-4 to claim UCLA Athletics’ 123rd national title.

Last weekend, sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele started in the cage, playing the entire game and tallying a season-high 18 saves – one more than her 17 saves against Cal last year in the championship game.

“As a goalie, sometimes you can’t let your thoughts spin too much,” Steele said. “You got to focus on the ball and take it one defensive stop at a time.”

But leading the charge in UCLA’s Saturday victory over Fresno State – snapping the team’s two-match skid – was redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback, who tied her career high with five goals and added an assist to lead the team with six points.

“I think we all knew that we had a lot of room to improve after last weekend,” Lineback said. “Adam (Wright) really focused on resetting this week, really buying into our details – and it’s more fun to play when we’re playing the UCLA way.”

After taking last year off to train with Team USA, Lineback will make her first appearance against Cal in a UCLA uniform since 2023.

One thing’s for certain – the team is in a much better position with a win under its belt after a week of surprising losses.

The Golden Bears enter the matchup riding a three-game winning streak, most recently securing an 18-11 victory over San Jose State. Cal attacker Ruby Swadling led the charge, netting five goals for the second time this season.

Swadling remains Cal’s top scorer with 28 goals across the season, followed closely by attacker Elena Flynn with 27. Both players sit just behind UCLA’s leading scorer, Lineback, who has 29.

Wright previously said his team was struggling with communication. A week later, it’s a different story.

“When we’re talking, our intensity is up,” Wright said. “I think communication drives a lot of things. It means that we’re connecting on some level, and that’s the first step.”

A duel with the reigning runner-ups probably won’t be easy, but the Bruins have done it before. And Steele said there’s a feeling the team has returned to right where it’s supposed to be after their win over the Bulldogs.

“It’s a sense of relief that we were able to go back,” Steele said. “We have to keep the energy going with Cal next week – we can’t let up. We can’t stop.”