Robert Edwards/KLC fotos
Valentina Ivanov improved her singles record to 13-6 with Friday’s clinching win over Colorado.
BERKELEY – Valentina Ivanov led the 10th-ranked California women’s tennis team to a 6-1 victory over Colorado on Friday at the Hellman Tennis Complex, with the senior winning in straights sets at court-one singles to clinch a Cal match for the second time this season. She also partnered with Jessica Alsola to win in doubles against the Buffaloes.
The Golden Bears – who likewise won 6-1 over Hawaii on Thursday – improved their record to 10-3 (3-0 Pac-12). Colorado is 12-4 (1-3 Pac-12).
“We did a better job of closing out the doubles point today than yesterday, and I was happy with that,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “In singles, we won five of six first sets, and it was a good follow-up to yesterday. We had slow starts in singles against Hawaii, and I appreciate the adjustments the team made.”
Friday’s match was originally scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. PT, but team officials moved the start to 10 a.m. to avoid potential rain in the afternoon.
The change didn’t rattle the Bears.
Alsola and Ivanov won the first match of the day, besting Elys Ventura and Mila Stanojevic, 6-3, at court-two doubles. The pair of Katja Wiersholm and Berta Passola Folch then beat Anya Nelson and Ema Bubalo, 6-4, on court three to clinch the doubles point for the Bears.
Cal rolled to three straight singles wins, not losing a set, to secure the overall victory. First, Lan Mi shut out Pia Rebec, 6-0, 6-0, on court five to give the junior a team-high 31st win of the season, and then 38th-ranked senior Hannah Viller Moeller topped Ventura, 6-2, 6-2, on court two to give the Bears a 3-0 advantage. The 57th-ranked Ivanov secured the win and gave Cal a 4-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Aya El Sayed.
The Bears captured two of the last three matches to finish off their 6-1 win.
Ivanov – who didn’t play collegiately in the fall – has had a good start to her final season. She’s 13-6 in singles and, including Friday, has gone 2-1 on court-one this season. Ivanov also has an 11-5 doubles record, including a 10-4 mark with Alsola.
“I did a lot of good work on my game – the mental side and the physical side – when…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at California Golden Bears Athletics…