Bears Play At Sectionals, Conference Masters, ASU

Mao Mushika will play at ITA sectionals in one of three tournament Bears are heading to this week.

The California women’s tennis team sends Golden Bears to compete in the ITA West Sectional Championships and ITA Conference Masters Championships starting Thursday, with qualification to the NCAA individual championships on the line, while five Bears travel to Arizona State for the Thunderbird Invitational.
 
Katja Wiersholm plays at conference masters in Rome, Georgia; Jessica Alsola, Lan Mi, Mao Mushika and Berta Passola Folch compete at sectionals in Los Angeles; and Cami Brown, Sophie Hernandez, Tiziana-Marie Schomburg, Makenna Thiel and Naomi Xu play in Tempe. The latter tournament runs from Friday through Sunday.
 
All five Bears competing in the major ITA tournaments are vying to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship, while Mi and Passola Folch are attempting to join Alsola and Mushika at the NCAA Doubles Championship. Both postseason tournaments take place later this month at Baylor. Alsola and Mushika qualified for NCAA doubles by reaching the semifinals at the ITA All-American Championships in September.
 
From sectionals, six players (the four semifinalists plus two quarterfinal playoff winners) will qualify for NCAA singles, while the top three doubles teams (champion, runner-up and third-place winner) will advance to NCAAs. The four singles semifinalists at conference masters advance to NCAA singles.
 
Here are more details for the three tournaments:
 
ITA West Sectional Championships
When: Nov. 7-10
Where: Marks Tennis Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
Watch: PlaySight
Scores: Draws
ITA Tournament Site
 
ITA Conference Masters Championships
When: Nov. 7-10
Where: Rome Tennis Center, Rome, Ga.
Watch: Cracked Racquets Live Stream, PlaySight
Scores: iOnCourt, Draws
ITA Tournament Site
 
Thunderbird Invitational
When: Nov. 8-10
Where: Whiteman Tennis Center, Tempe, Ariz.
ITA Tournament Site
 
Poll Position
Five Bears are ranked in the first ITA singles poll of 2024-25 – No. 30 Jessica Alsola, No. 33 Katja Wiersholm, No. 80 Lan Mi, No. 106 Berta Passola Folch and No. 107 Mao Mushika. Three Cal pairs are ranked in doubles – No. 16 Alsola and Mushika, No. 25 Passola Folch and Wiersholm, and No. 79 Mi and freshman Naomi Xu.
 
Alsola, Mushika Qualify For NCAA Doubles
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