California Golden Bears Athletics
Friday, September 16
Newport, R.I.
All Day
California
at
Hall of Fame ITA Grasscourt Invitational
Olivia Hauger and the Bears open the season in Rhode Island.
Cal Starts Year At Hall Of Fame ITA Invitational
9/15/2016 9:47 AM | Women's Tennis
BERKELEY – After a whirlwind year that ended with a deep run into the postseason, the California women's tennis team opens the new season at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, where the Golden Bears will compete in the inaugural Hall of Fame ITA Grass Court Invitational. The Bears will compete in singles and doubles tournaments in Newport against players from Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and Harvard.
The Bears ended last season ranked No. 2 in the final Oracle/ITA team poll, while the Cowgirls finished eighth, Georgia Tech was 16th and the Crimson ended up 55th.
Matches will be played on the historic Bill Talbert Stadium Court and on the additional grass courts at the Hall of Fame, all of which have hosted many of the sport's greatest tennis legends over the years.
Admission to the Hall of Fame ITA Grass Court Invitational is free. Fans can also watch the live stream of the action in Newport on FloTennis. For more information, please visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame site.
POLL POSITION
On Tuesday, Cal earned five spots in the Oracle/ITA preseason rankings, with seniors Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr – the 2016 NCAA doubles finalists – claiming Cal's highest rank at No. 3. The All-Americans, who posted a 23-11 record in 2015-16, ended last season ranked fourth.
Manasse, who was also a singles All-American and the Pac-12 singles champion as a junior, garnered a No. 7 preseason singles ranking. She ended last year ranked ninth. Starr, who had a final ranking of 88th and a 27-7 record as a junior, is 62nd to start her senior season, and sophomore Olivia Hauger (30-6 and ranked 121st to end her freshman year) is now 86th. Karla Popovic, who compiled a 37-7 record (including 23-0 in dual matches) as a sophomore – opens her junior season ranked 90th.
2015-16 SEASON IN REVIEW
The 2015-16 Golden Bears produced arguably the best season in the history of the program. They captured Cal's first national team title and first national indoor crown when they won the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship in February. Then-freshman Olivia Hauger beat Marika Akkerman, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, to clinch the victory over defending champ North Carolina in the final. Hauger also became the first Bear to earn the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and joined teammate Karla Popovic on the all-tournament team.
The following week, that triumph propelled the Bears to the program's first No. 1 team ranking, a rank that they held for 10 weeks in the spring.
Cal also had its share of success in the fall, when Denise Starr and Maegan Manasse won the doubles title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, beating UNC's Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay, 6-1, 6-4, in the final. That also qualified the pair for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in New York, where Manasse, who also played singles indoors, collected the tournament's Sportsmanship Award, and where Klara Fabikova captured the consolation singles title.
During the winter break, Cal head coach Amanda Augustus was part of the staff that led the United States – including Manasse – to its fifth consecutive title at the Master'U BNP Paribas tournament in France.
In the spring, the Bears romped through the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Hellman Tennis Complex, beating Cal State Northridge and Washington by 4-0 scores to qualify for national indoors in Madison, Wisconsin. There, Cal beat the host Badgers, 4-0, No. 7 Virginia, 4-1, and No. 16 Ohio State, 4-3, before clashing with the fifth-ranked Tar Heels.
Cal then went on to set a new school record for the best start to a dual-match season, going 19-0 to surpass the previous 10-0 mark. Along the way, the Bears posted a notable 4-3 victory over No. 7 and previously unbeaten Florida, with Hauger again providing the clinching win. This time the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native defeated Brianna Morgan, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, at Hellman.
After a regular-season split with Stanford led to Cal taking third place in the Pac-12 Conference, the Bears surged to more success in the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, California, where Manasse claimed her singles championship and Hauger won the singles invitational title.
The top-ranked Bears earned their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship and were dominant in the first two rounds in Berkeley, blanking UT Rio Grande Valley, 4-0, and then UC Santa Barbara, 4-0, to advance to Tulsa for the rest of the postseason. They likewise dispatched Texas Tech, 4-0, in the round of 16 in Hauger's hometown.
Cal faced a tougher test against No. 8 Pepperdine in the quarterfinals, trailing 1-0 after doubles and then knotted up 2-2 in singles. Clutch victories by Hauger and senior Lynn Chi pulled out the 4-2 thriller and sent the Bears to the semis for the first time since 2009.
The Bears faced 12th-seeded Oklahoma State in the semis, with the Cowgirls winning the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead. Despite singles wins by Popovic, Hauger and, in her last dual match, Fabikova, Cal's magical run came to an end with a 4-3 upset loss to the Cowgirls.
The duo of Manasse and Starr extended the Bears' year to the last day of the postseason, winning four times en route to the NCAA doubles final, before falling to Florida's Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan. In NCAA singles, Manasse reached the round of 16, while Fabikova advanced to the round of 32; both earned singles All-America honors.
In all, it was a banner season for the Bears and head coach Amanda Augustus. The day after the team semifinals, the Cal alumna – who earlier garnered recognition with former teammate Amy Jensen as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Century – claimed the 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award for leading her Bears to new heights.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL HALL OF FAME
Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit institution that preserves and promotes the history of tennis and celebrates its champions, thereby serving as a vital partner in the growth of tennis globally. The Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, on a seven-acre property that features an extensive museum that showcases the history of the sport and honors the 247 Hall of Famers; 13 grass tennis courts and an indoor tennis facility; and a rare Court Tennis facility. Annually in July, the venue hosts the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships for the Van Alen Cup, an ATP World Tour event. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame and its programs, visit tennisfame.com.
ABOUT THE ITA
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing women's and men's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA serves all of college tennis, and returns leaders of tomorrow, by administering a comprehensive awards and rankings program for men's and women's varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website atwww.itatennis.com, like the ITA on Facebook or follow @ITA_Tennis on Twitter.
NEXT TIME
The Bears return home to host the Cal Nike Fall Invitational from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts.
The Bears ended last season ranked No. 2 in the final Oracle/ITA team poll, while the Cowgirls finished eighth, Georgia Tech was 16th and the Crimson ended up 55th.
Matches will be played on the historic Bill Talbert Stadium Court and on the additional grass courts at the Hall of Fame, all of which have hosted many of the sport's greatest tennis legends over the years.
Admission to the Hall of Fame ITA Grass Court Invitational is free. Fans can also watch the live stream of the action in Newport on FloTennis. For more information, please visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame site.
POLL POSITION
On Tuesday, Cal earned five spots in the Oracle/ITA preseason rankings, with seniors Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr – the 2016 NCAA doubles finalists – claiming Cal's highest rank at No. 3. The All-Americans, who posted a 23-11 record in 2015-16, ended last season ranked fourth.
Manasse, who was also a singles All-American and the Pac-12 singles champion as a junior, garnered a No. 7 preseason singles ranking. She ended last year ranked ninth. Starr, who had a final ranking of 88th and a 27-7 record as a junior, is 62nd to start her senior season, and sophomore Olivia Hauger (30-6 and ranked 121st to end her freshman year) is now 86th. Karla Popovic, who compiled a 37-7 record (including 23-0 in dual matches) as a sophomore – opens her junior season ranked 90th.
2015-16 SEASON IN REVIEW
The 2015-16 Golden Bears produced arguably the best season in the history of the program. They captured Cal's first national team title and first national indoor crown when they won the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship in February. Then-freshman Olivia Hauger beat Marika Akkerman, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, to clinch the victory over defending champ North Carolina in the final. Hauger also became the first Bear to earn the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and joined teammate Karla Popovic on the all-tournament team.
The following week, that triumph propelled the Bears to the program's first No. 1 team ranking, a rank that they held for 10 weeks in the spring.
Cal also had its share of success in the fall, when Denise Starr and Maegan Manasse won the doubles title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, beating UNC's Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay, 6-1, 6-4, in the final. That also qualified the pair for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in New York, where Manasse, who also played singles indoors, collected the tournament's Sportsmanship Award, and where Klara Fabikova captured the consolation singles title.
During the winter break, Cal head coach Amanda Augustus was part of the staff that led the United States – including Manasse – to its fifth consecutive title at the Master'U BNP Paribas tournament in France.
In the spring, the Bears romped through the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Hellman Tennis Complex, beating Cal State Northridge and Washington by 4-0 scores to qualify for national indoors in Madison, Wisconsin. There, Cal beat the host Badgers, 4-0, No. 7 Virginia, 4-1, and No. 16 Ohio State, 4-3, before clashing with the fifth-ranked Tar Heels.
Cal then went on to set a new school record for the best start to a dual-match season, going 19-0 to surpass the previous 10-0 mark. Along the way, the Bears posted a notable 4-3 victory over No. 7 and previously unbeaten Florida, with Hauger again providing the clinching win. This time the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native defeated Brianna Morgan, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, at Hellman.
After a regular-season split with Stanford led to Cal taking third place in the Pac-12 Conference, the Bears surged to more success in the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, California, where Manasse claimed her singles championship and Hauger won the singles invitational title.
The top-ranked Bears earned their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship and were dominant in the first two rounds in Berkeley, blanking UT Rio Grande Valley, 4-0, and then UC Santa Barbara, 4-0, to advance to Tulsa for the rest of the postseason. They likewise dispatched Texas Tech, 4-0, in the round of 16 in Hauger's hometown.
Cal faced a tougher test against No. 8 Pepperdine in the quarterfinals, trailing 1-0 after doubles and then knotted up 2-2 in singles. Clutch victories by Hauger and senior Lynn Chi pulled out the 4-2 thriller and sent the Bears to the semis for the first time since 2009.
The Bears faced 12th-seeded Oklahoma State in the semis, with the Cowgirls winning the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead. Despite singles wins by Popovic, Hauger and, in her last dual match, Fabikova, Cal's magical run came to an end with a 4-3 upset loss to the Cowgirls.
The duo of Manasse and Starr extended the Bears' year to the last day of the postseason, winning four times en route to the NCAA doubles final, before falling to Florida's Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan. In NCAA singles, Manasse reached the round of 16, while Fabikova advanced to the round of 32; both earned singles All-America honors.
In all, it was a banner season for the Bears and head coach Amanda Augustus. The day after the team semifinals, the Cal alumna – who earlier garnered recognition with former teammate Amy Jensen as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Century – claimed the 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award for leading her Bears to new heights.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL HALL OF FAME
Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit institution that preserves and promotes the history of tennis and celebrates its champions, thereby serving as a vital partner in the growth of tennis globally. The Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, on a seven-acre property that features an extensive museum that showcases the history of the sport and honors the 247 Hall of Famers; 13 grass tennis courts and an indoor tennis facility; and a rare Court Tennis facility. Annually in July, the venue hosts the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships for the Van Alen Cup, an ATP World Tour event. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame and its programs, visit tennisfame.com.
ABOUT THE ITA
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing women's and men's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA serves all of college tennis, and returns leaders of tomorrow, by administering a comprehensive awards and rankings program for men's and women's varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website atwww.itatennis.com, like the ITA on Facebook or follow @ITA_Tennis on Twitter.
NEXT TIME
The Bears return home to host the Cal Nike Fall Invitational from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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