No. 10 Cal Hosts No. 49 Oregon In Pac-12 Opener
BERKELEY – The California women's tennis team continues a seven-match homestand when it hosts Oregon on Sunday, March 6, in the Golden Bears' Pac-12 Conference opener. The defending Pac-12 champions, the Bears take on the Ducks at 12 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
Cal has a 6-5 record, while Oregon is 8-2.
Admission is free to regular-season matches at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Fans can also follow the action and scores at Hellman via the live stream by clicking here and can follow updates of Cal matches at @CalWomensTennis.
Cal Athletics follows all state and local public health guidelines to mitigate risk and support the health and well-being of those who attend Cal athletic events. Under these policies, fans attending outdoor events on campus are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings in outdoor areas. Facial coverings are required at all times in indoor spaces (i.e., restrooms) for guests ages 2 and up regardless of vaccination status, unless actively eating or drinking. Masks will be available at entrances for fans upon request.
Individuals who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or are under a quarantine or isolation order should not attend.
These protocols are subject to change based on local, state and national guidelines.
Poll Position
In Wednesday's rankings, Cal is 10th in the ITA poll and 14th in the Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 poll. The ITA ranks Oregon 49th. The ITA's new singles and doubles rankings are slated to come out on March 8.
Last Time: No. 6 Cal Edged by No. 5 Texas
For the second time in two weeks, Cal played a close match with Texas, but on Sunday the No. 6 Golden Bears lost to the fifth-ranked Longhorns, 4-3, at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
Cal – the defending Pac-12 champion – has a 6-5 record. The defending NCAA champion, Texas – which also beat the Bears 4-2 on Feb. 13 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship – improved to 8-3.
The Bears had won the doubles point in seven of their last eight matches, including in the previous match with Texas. But on Sunday the Longhorns won on court three and then won on court one – with Kylie Collins and Peyton Stearns beating Cal's Haley Giavara and Valentina Ivanov, 6-3 – to clinch the point.
In singles, Cal senior Julia Rosenqvist knotted the overall match at 1-1 when she defeated Bella Zamarripa, 7-5, 6-1, on court five. But the fourth-ranked Stearns gave Texas back the lead at 2-1 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Giavara on court one. Wiersholm, ranked 94th, followed with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over Charlotte Chavatipon on court four to tie things at 2-2. The result also kept the Cal freshman undefeated in singles at 13-0.
In another tight result, Cal sophomore Hannah Viller Moeller fell to Vivian Ovrootsky, 7-6(3), 6-3, on court six. Sabina Zeynalova then clinched the Longhorns' win with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ivanov on court three.
With the Bears down 4-2, Cal's 48th-ranked Jessica Alsola battled the 40th-ranked Collins in a three-setter on court two. After splitting the first two sets, the Cal freshman dominated the third set to prevail and pick up a quality win, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.
Scouting the Bears
- Cal has won the doubles point in seven of its 11 dual matches
- Jessica Alsola, who reached the singles semifinals of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in the fall, earned her first Pac-12 Player of the Week honor (see below) on Jan. 25
- Alsola is ranked 48th in singles and at 23-5 has the most singles wins for the Bears
- The pair of Alsola and Erin Richardson (10-4) is ranked 45th in doubles
- Wiersholm (13-0 in singles) is ranked 94th in singles
- A freshman, Wiersholm clinched Cal's first two wins of the season in the first two matches of her career against UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine
- Former two-time NCAA doubles champion Amanda Augustus – the 2021 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year – is in her 15th year as head coach at her alma mater
- Associate head coach Zack Warren – the 2021 ITA Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year – is in his eighth year on the staff.
Scouting the Ducks
- Oregon plays at Stanford on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
- In the Ducks' previous match, they won at home over Saint Mary's, 4-1
- After going 1-2 to start the season, Oregon has won seven straight matches
- Courtney Nagle is in her fourth year as Oregon's head coach
Last Season vs. Oregon: Cal Beats Ducks Twice
Cal defeated Oregon twice during the 2020-21 season, first edging the Ducks, 4-3, in the regular season and then beating Oregon, 4-1, in the Pac-12 tournament.
On April 2, 2021, Hannah Viller Moeller clinched No. 19 California's 4-3 victory over No. 46 Oregon at UO's Student Tennis Center, with the freshman besting Uxia Martinez Moral, 6-4, 7-6(2), to wrap up the match. The young Dane also paired with Anna Bright to clinch the doubles point for the Bears.
In the 2021 Pac-2 Championship quarterfinals, Julia Rosenqvist led third-seeded Cal to a 4-1 victory over sixth-seeded Oregon with 7-6(3), 6-4 win over Rifanty Kahfiani. Valentina Ivanov and Haley Giavara clinched the doubles point when they beat Kahfiani and Janice Tjen, 6-4.
Jessica Alsola Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
Cal freshman Jessica Alsola earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week honor on Jan. 25 after she helped the Golden Bears open the dual-match season 2-0 on the road. This is the first Pac-12 honor for Alsola and the first of the season for Cal.
Alsola picked up a big win in ninth-ranked Cal's 4-3 win over No. 2 Pepperdine on Jan. 22, defeating the 30th-ranked Victoria Flores at court-three singles, 6-3, 7-6(5), in Malibu. One day earlier, Alsola beat Camille Kiss, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, in Cal's 6-1 rout of UC Santa Barbara.
Along with her No. 48 singles ranking, Alsola is ranked seventh in the ITA Newcomer poll.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of the Bears, follow them on Twitter (@CalWomensTennis), Instagram (@CalWomensTennis) and Facebook (@CalWomensTennis).
Next Time
Cal continues Pac-12 Conference action when the Bears host Utah on March 18 and Colorado on March 20 at the Hellman Tennis Complex.