Cal Falls To UNC, 4-0, In NCAA Round Of 16

ORLANDO, Fla. – The 16th-seeded California women's tennis team faced a formidable opponent in top-seeded North Carolina in Sunday's NCAA round of 16, with the 13th-ranked Golden Bears falling to No. 1 UNC, 4-0, at the USTA National Campus. The result ended the team portion of the season for the Pac-12 champion, which wound up with a 19-7 record.
 
The Tar Heels, who haven't lost since the 2019 NCAA semifinals, improved to 29-0. The ACC champ will play Duke in the quarterfinals.
 
"We played a very experienced team today, and we battled them very hard," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "The experience, top to bottom, of the six people who played today showed. I'm proud of the effort we put forth, how we competed and how we represented Cal, and I'm proud of the season that his team has had."
 
UNC took a 1-0 lead when it clinched the doubles point on court one, with the second-ranked Sara Daavettila and Cameron Morra beating Cal sophomores Haley Giavara and Valentina Ivanov, 6-2.
 
The Tar Heels clinched the win over Cal when the 97th-ranked Elizabeth Scotty defeated Cal freshman Jada Bui, 6-2, 7-5, at court-four singles. Earlier, Giavara, ranked 31st, lost to UNC's second-ranked Daavettila, 6-4, 6-3, on court one, and Cal freshman Hannah Viller Moeller fell to the 36th-ranked Fiona Crawley, 6-2, 6-3, on court five.
 
Giavara will continue playing in the 2021 postseason in the NCAA Singles Championship and, with Ivanov, in the NCAA Doubles Championship in Orlando. The individual tournaments start on May 23 at the USTA National Campus.
 
With the return to a more normal season expected in the fall, the Bears look to build on a 2021 season that included a conference title and a run to the NCAA third round.
 
"This is a young group, and they've gotten better each week," Augustus said. "They've improved so much, and we'll basically have the same team back next year. We're looking forward to – fingers crossed – a full, proper season next year and getting them into fall tournament play and continuing to build this group. This group's won a Pac-12 championship, and there's more to come."
 
NCAA Championship Round of 16
 
[1] No. 1 North Carolina (29-0) defeated [16] No. 13 California (19-7), 4-0
May 16, 2021, in Orlando, Fla.
USTA National Campus
 
Doubles
1. No. 2 Sara Daavettila/Cameron Morra (UNC) def. Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-2*
2. Anna Bright/Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal) vs. No. 4 Makenna Jones/Elizabeth Scotty (UNC), 2-5 Unfinished
3. No. 34 Alle Sanford/Reilly Tran (UNC) def. Jada Bui/Erin Richardson (Cal), 6-2
 
Order of Finish – 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 2 Sara Daavettila (UNC) def No. 31 Haley Giavara (Cal), 6-4, 6-3
2. Julia Rosenqvist (Cal) vs. No. 41 Alexa Graham (UNC), 2-6, 6-6 Unfinished
3. Valentina Ivanov (Cal) vs. No. 27 Cameron Morra (UNC), 6-2, 3-6, 0-1 Unfinished
4. No. 97 Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. Jada Bui (Cal), 6-2, 7-5^
5. No. 36 Fiona Crawley (UNC) def. Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal), 6-2, 6-3
6. Anna Bright (Cal) vs. No. 117 Reilly Tran (UNC), 2-6, 5-6 Unfinished
 
Order of Finish – 1, 5, 4^
^Clinched the overall win