BERKELEY – For the second straight day at the Hellman Tennis Complex, Katja Wiersholm clinched a 6-1 victory over an opponent from the state of Washington, with the 30th-ranked California women's tennis team defeating 19th-ranked Washington on Saturday. After celebrating Haley Giavara and Erin Richardson on Senior Day, the Golden Bears got a dominant performance from Giavara and the 18th consecutive win from Jessica Alsola en route to sweeping the Huskies in singles.
 
Cal, which also defeated Washington State 6-1 on Friday, improved its record to 11-7 (7-2 Pac-12) with its fourth straight win. Washington is 15-7 (5-4).
 
Of seniors Giavara and Richardson, Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said, "They have meant a lot to the program, on and off the court. In the classroom, they're spectacular students and represent the team really well. They've also won multiple championships. I look forward to seeing them compete the rest of this season, and I know they will always be supportive of the program in the future."
 
The Bears had to rebound from losing the doubles point to the Huskies, who clinched the point when Erika Matsuda and Hikaru Sato upset Cal's ninth-ranked Wiersholm and Alsola, 7-5.
 
In singles, the 48th-ranked Alsola – who hasn't lost a set since March 1 – quickly dispatched Astrid Olsen, 6-0, 6-1, to tie the overall match 1-1. Giavara – in perhaps the last match of her career at Hellman – followed with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over the 101st-ranked Sato to give Cal a 2-1 lead.
 
"Overall we had fun as a team, and I think it showed in our tennis," Giavara said. "We all came out to compete really hard today for each other and especially for Erin and me. That was something we discussed as a team before this weekend, and I think we accomplished that."
 
Hannah Viller Moeller, who won her match about two minutes before Wiersholm clinched, collected a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Melissa Sakar to make the score 3-1. Wiersholm defeated Sarah-Maude Fortin, 6-3, 6-1, to give Cal a 4-1 lead and the official win. Valentina Ivanov and Berta Passola Folch added wins for the Bears to make the final score 6-1.
 
"We had a really great crowd at Hellman today, and it was a beautiful day," Augustus said. "We gave them a great performance. We had some women's tennis alums from (first Cal head coach) Joan Parker's teams here today, and it's always great to have them come back and support the team.
 
"I would've liked for us to have started better in doubles. But as a team we did a really good job of letting it go and then going out and competing in singles on every court. We were able to win every singles match, and that says a lot about what this team is building into, match by match. I'm just happy we're continuing the climb. We get a few days of rest now, and we're looking forward to our next opponent."
 
Cal concludes the regular season when the Bears travel to The Farm on April 21 to face No. 11 Stanford.
 
No. 30 California (11-7, 7-2 Pac-12) 6, No. 19 Washington (15-7, 5-4 Pac-12) 1
April 15, 2023, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. Erika Matsuda/Hikaru Sato (UW) def. No. 9 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal), 7-5*
2. Jennifer Kerr/Astrid Olsen (UW) def. Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-3
3. Berta Passola Folch/Erin Richardson (Cal) vs. Sarah-Maude Fortin/Zehra Suko (UW), 6-5 Abandoned
 
Order of Finish – 2, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. Haley Giavara (Cal) def. No. 101 Hikaru Sato (UW), 6-1, 6-2,
2. No. 48 Jessica Alsola (Cal) def. Astrid Olsen (UW), 6-0, 6-1
3. Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin (UW), 6-3, 6-1^
4. Valentina Ivanov (Cal) def. Jennifer Kerr (UW), 5-7, 6-2, 1-0(6)
5. Berta Passola Folch (Cal) def. Erika Matsuda (UW), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal) def. Melissa Sakar (UW), 6-4, 6-1
 
Order of Finish – 2, 1, 6, 3^, 4, 5
^Clinched the overall win