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Cal junior Katja Wiersholm clinched for the second time this season Saturday against Utah.
BERKELEY – The 10th-ranked California women’s tennis team outlasted No. 45 Utah and the rain to claim its third 6-1 victory in three days at home, with Katja Wiersholm clinching the Pac-12 Conference win Saturday at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Wiersholm’s doubles duo also clinched the doubles point for Cal for a third consecutive match.
The Golden Bears’ record improved to 11-3 (4-0 Pac-12) after a three-day stretch that included a 6-1 win over Hawaii on Thursday and a 6-1 win over Colorado on Friday at Hellman. Utah has a 10-5 record (2-2).
Saturday’s match was originally slated to start at noon PT but was delayed several times by rain before starting just before 2:30 p.m.
“I was really happy we were able to get the match in today,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “I want to acknowledge the grounds crew, our event staff and everyone for helping us dry the courts three different times to get the courts ready.
“Playing these three matches was a good test for us, because later in the season at Pac-12s and NCAAs you might have to play three matches in a row, so you have to be ready for it. This is part of our preparation, and we handled it well. We competed really well as a team today despite the circumstances, because sometimes it happens that you don’t know exactly what time your match is going to start. That’s being resilient. I’m proud of the effort this week. We’re moving forward and getting better each week as a team.”
“It was definitely a situation you have to mentally prepare for,” Wiersholm said of playing three matches in three days. “You have to work on your routines and rituals. But I’m really grateful for the schedule we have this year, especially to have these three matches at home. If you want to win NCAAs, once you get to the quarters, you have to win three matches in a row, and they’re going to be very tough matches. And same thing with the Pac-12 tournament. It’s just really awesome to have a weekend like this, going into spring break, when we could just put our heads down and focus on tennis.”
In doubles against Utah, Cal’s court-two pair of senior Valentina Ivanov and junior Jessica Alsola won 6-0 over Sara Akid and Kaila Barksdale. Wiersholm…
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