Cal Blanks Utah In Pac-12 Quarterfinal

OJAI, Calif. – Jessica Alsola earned the first clinching win of her young career as the top-seeded and eighth-ranked Cal women's tennis team defeated ninth-seeded Utah, 4-0, on Thursday in the Pac-12 Championship quarterfinals at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club. The Golden Bears - the defending Pac-12 tournament champions - next take on fifth-seeded Arizona State in the semifinals on Friday at 12 p.m.
 
A freshman, Alsola beat Utah's Emily Dush, 6-4, 6-2, to end the quarterfinal.
 
Cal improved its record to 16-6, while Utah ended its conference tournament run with a 15-11 record.
 
The Bears won two of three doubles matches to claim the doubles point. The Cal pair of Julia Rosenqvist and Erin Richardson beat Madeline Lamoreaux and Lindsay Hung, 6-3, and then the 68th-ranked duo of Alsola and Katja Wiersholm edged Dush and Anastasia Gonccharova, 7-6(5), to give Cal a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bears were dominant in singles, winning all six first sets. The 62nd-ranked Haley Giavara finished her match first, beating Utah's 122nd-ranked Linda Huang, 6-3, 6-3, on court one. Valentina Ivanov – back from her stint with New Zealand in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying – next beat Lindsay Hung, 6-4, 6-2, to give the Bears a 3-0 lead, and then Alsola prevailed on court two to end the match.
 
"We had to work through the doubles point," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "We haven't played on these courts before, while Utah played a match here yesterday, but we settled in as best we could. In singles, we came out strong like we needed to. That was Jessica's first clinch ever, and she's pretty excited about it."
 
Cal now prepares to face ASU, which was the only team to defeat the Bears during Pac-12 play in the regular season, in a 4-3 result on April 1 in Tempe, Arizona.
 
"I'm pleased with the victory today," Augustus said, "and excited about the rematch with the Sun Devils tomorrow."
 
[1] No. 8 California (16-6) defeated [9] No. 52 Utah (15-11), 4-0
April 21, 2022, in Ojai, Calif.
Ojai Valley Athletic Club
 
Doubles
1. Linda Huang/Madison Tattini (Utah) def. No. 39 Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-4
2. No. 68 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. Anastasia Goncharova/Emily Dush (Utah), 7-6(5)*
3. Julia Rosenqvist/Erin Richardson (Cal) def. Madeline Lamoreaux/Lindsay Hung (Utah), 6-3
 
Order of Finish – 3, 1, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 62 Haley Giavara (Cal) def. No. 122 Linda Huang (Utah), 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 64 Jessica Alsola (Cal) def. Emily Dush (Utah), 6-4, 6-2^
3. Katja Wiersholm (Cal) vs. Anastasia Goncharova (Utah), 7-5, 1-2 (Unfinished)
4. Valentina Ivanov (Cal) def. Lindsay Hung (Utah), 6-4, 6-2
5. Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal) vs. Madison Tattini (Utah), 7-5, 2-1 (Unfinished)
6. Erin Richardson (Cal) vs. Anya Lamoreaux (Utah), 6-4, 5-6 (Unfinished)
 
Order of Finish – 1, 4, 2^
^Clinched the overall match