No. 16 Cal Kicks Off ITA Tourney Vs. No. 20 UVa

BERKELEY – California women's tennis starts the dual-match season in earnest this week when the 16th-ranked Golden Bears face No. 20 Virginia (1-0) on Friday at 4 p.m. ET in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Lawrence, Kansas. The winner advances to Saturday's match – against either host and 19th-ranked Kansas (2-0) or No. 22 Tennessee (2-0) – with the overall victor qualifying to compete in the Oracle ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

Fans can watch the Cal matches in Kansas via the Jayhawks' live stream here can keep track of the Golden Bears' scores from @CalWomensTennis on Twitter.

Poll Position
In the Oracle ITA singles rankings from Nov. 13, freshman Valentina Ivanov (12-4 record) at No. 20, freshman Haley Giavara (15-5) ranked 21st, junior Julia Rosenqvist (12-3) tabbed 45th and junior Anna Bright (11-8) ranked 100th. In doubles, the pair of Bright and Giavara (9-2) is ranked 13th and the duo of Bright and Ivanov (3-1) is ranked 55th.

Scouting the Bears

Cal is coming off of a 13-9 dual-match season (6-4 in the Pac-12) in 2018-19, with the Bears advancing to the second round of the NCAA team tournament
Julia Rosenqvist and former Bear Olivia Hauger played in the NCAA Singles Championship last year, with Rosenqvist reaching the second round and Hauger ending her Cal career in the first round
Rosenqvist and Hana Mraz also competed in the NCAA doubles tournament in 2019
Cal alumna and former two-time NCAA doubles champion Amanda Augustus is in her 13^th season as the Bears' head coach

Scouting the Cavaliers

Virginia beat Towson, 7-0, in its season opener
The Cavaliers finished with an 18-9 record (8-6 ACC) and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last season
Sara O'Leary is in her third year as head coach of UVa

Scouting the Jayhawks

Kansas defeated Drake, 7-0, and Wichita State, 6-1, in its first two matches
The Jayhawks were 27-5 (13-2 Big 12) last year, with Kansas losing in the NCAA round of 16
Todd Chapman is in his seventh season as the Jayhawks' head coach

Scouting the Volunteers

Tennessee beat North Alabama, 7-0, twice on Jan. 12
The Volunteers posted a 20-8 record (9-4 SEC) in 2018-19 after reaching the second round of the NCAA team tournament
Alison Ojeda is the fourth year head coach of the Vols

Last Time: Bears Win 2 Titles In Cal Winter Invite

Cal's Julia Rosenqvist repeated as the singles champion and teammates Anna Bright and Haley Giavara won the doubles title as the Cal Winter Invitational ended on Jan. 9 at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts. The Golden Bears won their titles by virtue of going unbeaten at No. 1 singles (Rosenqvist had a 3-0 record) and No. 1 doubles (Bright and Giavara were 3-0), respectively, through the three-day event that included players from Saint Mary's and Cal Poly.

Last Year: Kick-Off Weekend
Cal fell to host and No. 14 South Carolina, 4-1, in its 2019 ITA Kick-Off Weekend opener, with the Bears' Julia Rosenqvist upsetting the Gamecocks' 12th-ranked Ingrid Gamarra Martins (South Carolina), 7-5, 6-1, at court-one singles. The Bears rallied to upset 11th-ranked Florida, 4-3, in the Kick-Off Weekend's consolation match, as Olivia Hauger upset the ninth-ranked Ida Jarlskog, 6-4, 7-6(5), to clinch the victory.

Next Time
If they qualify, the Bears will play in the Oracle ITA National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 7-10 in Chicago, Illinois, with the University of Illinois serving as host.