Bears Blank Buffs To Reach Pac-12 Semis

Jessica Alsola won in straight sets on Thursday to send the Bears to Friday’s Pac-12 semifinals.

WTEN4/27/2023 9:56 PM | By: Cal Athletics

OJAI – The 26th-ranked and second-seeded California women’s tennis team defeated 10th-seeded Colorado, 4-0, in the Pac-12 Championship quarterfinal round on Thursday at Weil Tennis Academy. The Golden Bears (12-8) advance to play sixth-seeded and 28th-ranked USC (18-8) on Friday in the conference semifinals.
 
The Bears captured the doubles point thanks to wins from Erin Richardson and Hannah Viller Moeller – who defeated Ellen Puzak and Bettina Tokac, 6-1 – and Haley Giavara and Valentina Ivanov, who clinched the point with a 6-2 result over Elys Ventura and Mila Stanojevic.
 
Katja Wiersholm quickly doubled Cal’s lead when she beat Stanojevic, 6-0, 6-2, in singles. Viller Moeller followed with a 6-2, 6-0 dispatching of Carri Hayes to make the score 3-0. The 55th-ranked Jessica Alsola – who had an 18-match winning streak snapped in her previous match – potentially started a new streak when she beat Ventura, 6-4, 6-2, to clinch Cal’s victory.
 
“It’s nice to be back here in Ojai,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “We did a good job of getting after it in the singles. Hopefully we conserved enough energy and will be ready to go after it again tomorrow.”
 
The Bears face the Trojans at 3 p.m. PDT on Friday at Weil Tennis Academy for the right to advance to the Pac-12 final on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Libbey Park.
 
Pac-12 Championship Quarterfinal Round
 
[2] No. 26 California (12-8) 4, [10] Colorado (12-12) 0
April 27, 2023, in Ojai, Calif.
Weil Tennis Academy
 
Doubles
1. Antonia Balzert/Aya El Sayed, Colorado vs. No. 12 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm, Cal – 5-2 unf.
2. Valentina Ivanov/Haley Giavara, Cal def. Elys Ventura/Mila Stanojevic, Colorado – 6-2
3. Hannah Viller Moeller/Erin Richardson, Cal def. Ellen Puzak/Betina Tokac, Colorado – 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
 
Singles
1. Antonia Balzert, Colorado vs. No. 105 Haley Giavara, Cal – 7-6 (1), 0-6 unf.
2. No. 55 Jessica Alsola, Cal def. Elys Ventura, Colorado – 6-4, 6-2
3. Katja Wiersholm, Cal def. Mila Stanojevic, Colorado – 6-0, 6-2
4. Aya El Sayed, Colorado vs. Valentina Ivanov, Cal – 6-3, 4-4 unf.
5. Berta Passola Folch, Cal vs. Betina Tokac, Colorado – 4-6, 6-4
6. Hannah Viller Moeller, Cal def. Carri…