California women’s water polo freshman Despoina Drakotou has been named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week for the third consecutive week, becoming the first player to earn this honor three times in a season since 2018. This recognition follows her performance in Cal’s recent victory over Pacific, where she scored seven goals, the second highest single-game total in program history.
Drakotou was successful on all seven of her shots during Cal’s 25-9 win against No. 17 Pacific. She also contributed an assist. Her seven-goal game is the most by a Bear since 2019 and is one goal short of the program record set in 1997. Only Olympian Kitty Lynn Joustra had previously achieved three MPSF Newcomer of the Week awards in a single season, which occurred in 2018.
So far this season, Drakotou has scored multiple goals in every game for the Bears, who have started with a 6-0 record. She leads the team with 20 goals.
The Bears are scheduled to play UC Davis at noon on Sunday, February 8.
“Drakotou was a perfect 7-for-7 shooting in Cal’s 25-9 victory over No. 17 Pacific. She also added an assist in the win, while her seven goals marked the most in a game by a Bear since 2019 and was just one off the Cal record of eight set in 1997. Only one other Bear has won three MPSF Newcomer of the Week awards in a single season — Olympian Kitty Lynn Joustra in 2018.”
For more updates on California women’s water polo, fans can follow their official accounts on X (@calwwpolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo), and Facebook (@calwwpolo).
