ITA
Valentina Ivanov (left) and Jessica Alsola (right) clinched the doubles point, as Cal went on to defeat Washington on Sunday night in Seattle.
SEATTLE – The 15th-ranked California women’s tennis team ended its run in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a 4-1 consolation win over host and 21st-ranked Washington on Sunday night at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. Freshman Mao Mushika won in three sets over Melissa Sakar to clinch the victory.
The Golden Bears improved to 3-2 with its nonconference victory over Washington, which is now 6-3.
Cal claimed the doubles point for the second time in three matches in Seattle when Valentina Ivanov and Jessica Alsola beat Sarah-Maude Fortin and Erika Matsuda, 7-5, on court two.
A pair of straight-set wins in singles gave the Bears a 3-0 lead. First, the 71st-ranked Lan Mi bested Fortin, 6-2, 6-1, on court six and then the 105th-ranked Berta Passola Folch defeated Dariya Detkovskaya, 6-3, 6-2, on court five.
The 51st-ranked Ivanov suffered a 7-6(3), 6-1 loss against Astrid Olsen on court three to make the score 3-1.
Alsola, ranked 22nd, had a chance to clinch Cal’s win over the Huskies, with her three-setter against Alexia Jacobs coming close to finishing on court two. But Mushika prevailed first, beating Sakar, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, on court four to end the match.
“It was a good team victory today,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “It started with a great doubles point. Mao and Hannah played really well, and we played aggressive on all three courts. We did a great job of clinching that doubles point.
“In singles, Washington competed hard, but we did a good job ourselves. Berta played her first singles match this weekend and got a point on the board. Lan had another straight-set victory. And it was back and forth between Jess and Mao as to who was going to clinch the match. Their courts were next to each other, and they were supporting each other the whole way.”
The national indoor tournament concludes Monday with the main draw final featuring third-seeded Oklahoma State and fourth-seeded Michigan.
“This is such a fantastic tournament,” said Augustus, who led Cal to the 2016 ITA national indoor title. “Washington is a great host and made us and all the teams feel very…
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