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No. 12 Cal Routs No. 44 Arizona 7-0

Apr 2, 2022
Valentina Ivanov won in straight sets in singles against the Wildcats.

TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 12 California women's tennis team completed its trip to the desert with a victory, as the Golden Bears routed No. 44 Arizona, 7-0, on Saturday at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. Cal junior Valentina Ivanov clinched the win with a straight-set singles win over Midori Castillo-Meza.
 
Cal, the defending Pac-12 tournament champion, improved its record to 5-1 in the conference and 12-6 overall. Arizona is 14-8 and 2-5 in the Pac-12.
 
For the 13th time in 18 dual matches, Cal won the doubles point. The 29th-ranked Jessica Alsola and Katja Wiersholm beat the Wildcats' Lexi Ryngler and Kayla Wilkins, 6-1, on court two, before Cal suffered a court-one loss. On court three, Cal's Erin Richardson and Julia Rosenqvist edged Kayla Meraz and Baylen Nevenhoven, 7-6(6), to clinch the point.
 
"We fought through a tough doubles point," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "Julia and Erin clinching that doubles point was huge, and it made our entire team lift their game for singles."
 
"The team we were facing today had one of the better serves compared to the teams we played recently," Rosenqvist said. "We were 5-6 down, love-40, on Erin's serve. We were telling ourselves if we were going to lose this match, to do it our way, to play our game. We got to 6-all and we stuck to our plan, and we continued till that match was ours."
 
Jessica Alsola quickly doubled Cal's lead at 2-0, when the Cal freshman bested Ryngler, 6-0, 6-2, on court two. Hannah Viller Moeller added a 6-2, 6-4 win over Arizona's Khim Iglupas, 6-4, 7-6(5), on court five, before Ivanov handled Castillo-Meza, 6-3, 6-3, on court four to give Cal a 4-0 lead and secure the win. Cal got wins from the 122nd-ranked Wiersholm, Erin Richardson and the 101st-ranked Haley Giavara to wrap up the 7-0 result.
 
The win gave Cal a split on its Arizona trip, including the 4-3 setback at Arizona State on Friday.
 
"That was the best way to bounce back," Augustus said. "We really raised our level quite well today. We were better accustomed to the conditions after having so many home matches. We hadn't been on the road for a month. We were still a little short-handed today without Julia in singles. But everybody stepped up and they fought together. The team did a really good job."
 
Cal next plays at Washington State on April 8 and then at Washington on April 9.
 
No. 12 California (12-6, 5-1 Pac-12) defeated No. 44 Arizona (14-8, 2-5 Pac-12), 7-0
April 2, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz.
LaNelle Robson Tennis Center
 
Doubles
1. Kirsten Prelle/Salma Ziouti (Arizona) def. No. 35 Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-3
2. No. 29 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. Lexi Ryngler/Kayla Wilkins (Arizona), 6-1
3. Erin Richardson/Julia Rosenqvist (Cal) def. Kayla Meraz/Baylen Nevenhoven (Arizona), 7-6(6)*
 
Order of Finish – 2, 1, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 101 Haley Giavara (Cal) def. Salma Ziouti (Arizona), 6-4, 2-6, 12-10
2. No. 62 Jessica Alsola (Cal) def. Lexi Ryngler (Arizona), 6-0, 6-2
3. No. 122 Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. Kayla Wilkins (Arizona), 6-3, 3-6, 10-1
4. Valentina Ivanov (Cal) def. Midori Castillo-Meza (Arizona), 6-3, 6-3^
5. Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal) def. Khim Iglupas (Arizona), 6-4, 7-6(5)
6. Erin Richardson (Cal) def. Kirsten Prelle (Arizona), 6-2, 6-4
 
Order of Finish – 2, 5, 4^, 3, 6, 1
^Clinched the overall match