Jessica Alsola won in straight sets on Thursday to send the Bears to Friday's Pac-12 semifinals.
WTEN4/27/2023 9:56 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Bears Blank Buffs To Reach Pac-12 Semis
OJAI – The 26th-ranked and second-seeded California women's tennis team defeated 10th-seeded Colorado, 4-0, in the Pac-12 Championship quarterfinal round on Thursday at Weil Tennis Academy. The Golden Bears (12-8) advance to play sixth-seeded and 28th-ranked USC (18-8) on Friday in the conference semifinals.
Â
The Bears captured the doubles point thanks to wins from
Erin Richardson and
Hannah Viller Moeller – who defeated Ellen Puzak and Bettina Tokac, 6-1 – and
Haley Giavara and
Valentina Ivanov, who clinched the point with a 6-2 result over Elys Ventura and Mila Stanojevic. It was a busy day for Giavara, who on Thursday morning was named the 2023 Pac-12 Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Â
Katja Wiersholm quickly doubled Cal's lead over the Buffaloes when she beat Stanojevic, 6-0, 6-2, in singles. Viller Moeller followed with a 6-2, 6-0 dispatching of Carri Hayes to make the score 3-0. The 55th-ranked
Jessica Alsola – who had an 18-match winning streak snapped in her previous match – potentially started a new streak when she beat Ventura, 6-4, 6-2, to clinch Cal's victory.
Â
"It's nice to be back here in Ojai," Cal head coach
Amanda Augustus said. "We did a good job of getting after it in the singles. Hopefully we conserved enough energy and will be ready to go after it again tomorrow."
Â
The Bears face the Trojans at 3 p.m. PDT on Friday at Weil Tennis Academy for the right to advance to the Pac-12 final on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Libbey Park.
Â
Pac-12 Championship Quarterfinal Round
Â
[2] No. 26 California (12-8) 4, [10] Colorado (12-12) 0
April 27, 2023, in Ojai, Calif.
Weil Tennis Academy
Â
Doubles
1. Antonia Balzert/Aya El Sayed, Colorado vs. No. 12
Jessica Alsola/
Katja Wiersholm, Cal - 5-2 unf.
2.
Valentina Ivanov/
Haley Giavara, Cal def. Elys Ventura/Mila Stanojevic, Colorado - 6-2
3.
Hannah Viller Moeller/
Erin Richardson, Cal def. Ellen Puzak/Betina Tokac, Colorado - 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
Â
Singles
1. Antonia Balzert, Colorado vs. No. 105
Haley Giavara, Cal - 7-6 (1), 0-6 unf.
2. No. 55
Jessica Alsola, Cal def. Elys Ventura, Colorado - 6-4, 6-2
3.
Katja Wiersholm, Cal def. Mila Stanojevic, Colorado - 6-0, 6-2
4. Aya El Sayed, Colorado vs.
Valentina Ivanov, Cal - 6-3, 4-4 unf.
5.
Berta Passola Folch, Cal vs. Betina Tokac, Colorado - 4-6, 6-4 unf.
6.
Hannah Viller Moeller, Cal def. Carri Hayes, Colorado - 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 6, 2