CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – With a chance to reach its second ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship final in school history, fifth-ranked and fifth-seeded California lost to ninth-ranked and eighth-seeded Georgia, 4-2, on Sunday. The Golden Bears – who also lost their first dual match of the season - dropped the doubles point before the Bulldogs wrapped up the match with three wins in singles.
The loss ends the run for the Bears (4-1) at national indoors, while Georgia (6-2) advances to Monday's final to play second-seeded Florida or third-seeded North Carolina.
“Georgia was ready to go and played a good match,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “We played a good match, too. We had a few bright spots, but I think had we been able to just get through a couple situations, we had a chance. It really was a close match on every court.
“We are definitely happy that we made it to the semifinals of this big national event, with all the other top teams here. Of course we would've liked to advance to the final tomorrow. But we definitely established ourselves as one of the top teams in the country for this year. We'll just keep improving and getting better each week.”
The doubles point came down to court two, on which Cal's ninth-ranked pair of senior Zsofi Susanyi and junior Klara Fabikova battled the Bulldogs' Silvia Garcia/Kennedy Shaffer. Earlier on court three, sophomore Stephane Line and freshman Karla Popovic fell to Caroline Brinson/Hannah King, 6-1, and then the fourth-ranked duo of sophomores Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr topped Lauren Herring/Ellen Perez, 6-3, on court one. But Georgia clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory on court two.
A confident Fabikova – ranked 78th in singles – quickly dispatched Perez on court two, 6-2, 6-2, to tie the overall match at 1-1. Losses on court three – the 14th-ranked Susanyi lost to Shaffer in an upset, 6-3, 6-4 – and court six – senior Cecilia Estlander fell to Brinson, 6-2, 6-4 – put Cal in a 3-1 hole. The 64th-ranked Starr pulled the Bears to within one with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Garcia on court four.
But the Bulldogs clinched the match when King beat the 30th-ranked Popovic, 7-5, 6-3, on court five.
“Maegan and Denise had a really good win at one doubles,” Augustus said. “Klara played outstanding in her singles match today and really dominated her opponent. For Denise – who played Garcia a year ago – to close that match out in straight sets was definitely great. Maegan had a great comeback to win the first set and was pretty much on serve in the second set in singles, and we felt good about that match, though it wasn't finished. Maegan played really well all week.”
The Bears beat the Bulldogs in last year's quarterfinals at national indoors, with Starr defeating Garcia, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(7).
Cal next competes when it hosts Harvard in a nonconference match on Feb. 15 at noon at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship
No. 9 [8] Georgia (6-2) defeated No. 5 [5] Cal (4-1) – 4-2
Feb. 8, 2015, in Charlottesville, Va.
Boar's Head Sports Club
Semifinal Round
Doubles
1. No. 4 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal) def. Lauren Herring/Ellen Perez (Georgia) – 6-3
2. Silvia Garcia/Kennedy Shaffer (Georgia) def. No. 9 Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) – 6-3
3. Caroline Brinson/Hannah King (Georgia) def. Stephane Lin/ Karla Popovic (Cal) – 6-1
Georgia captured the doubles point
Oder of Finish: 3, 1, 2*.
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) vs. No. 19 Lauren Herring (Georgia) – Abandoned
2. No. 78 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Ellen Perez (Georgia) – 6-2, 6-2
3. Kennedy Shaffer (Georgia) def. No. 14 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) – 6-3, 6-4
4. No. 64 Denise Starr (Cal) def. Silvia Garcia (Georgia) – 6-3, 7-5
5. Hannah King (Georgia) def. No. 30 Karla Popovic (Cal) – 7-5, 6-3
6. Caroline Brinson (Georgia) def. Cecilia Estlander (Cal) – 6-2, 6-4
Oder of Finish: 2, 3, 6, 4, 5^
^Clinched the overall match
