SEATTLE – The 15th-ranked California women's tennis team took an early lead over fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Michigan, but the Golden Bears ultimately fell to the Wolverines, 4-2, in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship first round Friday at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.
 
Cal (2-1) next moves on to the consolation draw. The Bears will play at noon PT on Saturday against the losing team from Friday's first-round match between No. 6 Pepperdine and No. 11 Virginia. Michigan (6-1), meanwhile, advances to Saturday's main draw quarterfinal round to play the winner between Pepperdine and Virginia.
 
A strong showing by the Bears in doubles earned them a 1-0 lead over the Wolverines. First, the Cal pair of Katja Wiersholm and Berta Passola Folch won a close match over Piper Charney and Reese Miller, 7-5, on court three. Court two decided the doubles point, with Valentina Ivanov and Jessica Alsola edging the Wolverines' Lily Jones and Anna Ross, 7-6(5), to improve their record to 4-0 and give Cal the early advantage.
 
In singles, Michigan's 57th-ranked Lily Jones defeated Cal freshman Mao Mushika, 6-1, 6-1, on court five to tie the indoor opener, 1-1. Senior Valentina Ivanov responded with a straight-set win of her own on court three against Jaedan Brown, 7-6(1), 6-0, to lift the Bears to a 2-1 advantage. But soon after Ivanov won her match, Cal's 21st-ranked Hannah Viller Moeller fell to Michigan's ninth-ranked Kari Miller, 7-5, 6-1, on court one to knot the contest at 2-2.
 
Two of the three remaining matches went into third sets, and Cal junior Lan Mi forced her match to also go to three sets after fighting off six match points against in her battle with Piper Charney on court six. Wiersholm, ranked 19th, eventually lost to Michigan's 124th-ranked Gala Mesochoritou, 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, and then Mi lost to Charney, 6-1, 6-7(9), 6-3, to end the day for the Bears.
 
"The level was very high on every court today, in singles and doubles," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "We played a fantastic doubles point. In singles, we definitely had some opportunities that we could've done a better job of closing out. But Michigan is seeded four for a reason. They competed hard. They've played more close matches this season than we have, and they're a much more veteran team.
 
"But the good part is we play again tomorrow and the next day, and we play more top-20 opponents. Every single day is important for everybody whether you're still in the main draw or playing consolation matches. We'll make the most of this opportunity, make some adjustments and get ready for tomorrow."
 
ITA national indoors will conclude Monday.