DURHAM, N.C. – The ITA Kickoff Weekend came to an end for the California men's tennis team in a 4-0 loss to 23rd-ranked N.C. State on Sunday in the tournament's consolation match.
 
The Golden Bears – who lost to Middle Tennessee in their tournament opener Saturday – fell to 0-3 and the Wolfpack improved to 3-2 after the result at Duke's Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
 
Cal split the first two doubles matches, with freshmen Alex Aney and Timofey Stepanov defeating the Wolfpack's Braden Shick and Fons Van Sambeek, 6-4, on court three. But in a tightly contested match on court one, the Bears' Mikey Wright and Carl Emil Overbeck dropped a 7-5 result to Robin Catry and Luca Staeheli, 7-5, and N.C. State claimed the doubles point.
 
The Bears lost three straight in singles, with N.C. State clinching its victory when Shick beat Stepanov, 6-3, 6-3, on court four.

With some of Cal's more experienced Bears unavailable for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, younger Bears earned plenty of playing time, with three underclassmen playing in doubles and four underclassmen Bears playing in singles against the Wolfpack.
 
"The younger ones got to experience what it is to compete at this level against top-25 teams and what they have to do in training to be at this level," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "It's tough luck we didn't get to play all our players, but the younger ones really stepped up. Maybe they're not experienced enough to win consistently at this level, but they played with fire and definitely challenged some guys in singles and in doubles.
 
"It's tough to go 0-2 on the trip, but we're getting better, tougher and more experienced. That's how you get better. You suffer and you get back on the court with a little more fire and a little more fuel to not feel this way. Adversity creates toughness, so that's what I'm looking for in the guys."
 
Cal is back in action on Sunday, Feb. 4, when it hosts its first two home dual matches of the season. The Bears take on UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m. PT and then face UC Davis at 3 p.m. PT at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
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