The 21st-ranked California women's tennis team begins its 42nd NCAA Championship campaign in Seattle, where the Golden Bears (13-8) face 75th-ranked Sacramento State (21-3) in the first round Friday at 11 a.m. at the University of Washington. Friday's other first-round match pits the 18th-ranked Huskies (20-4) against 74th-ranked Stetson (18-4) at 2 p.m. PT. Friday's winners meet in the second round Saturday at 1 p.m. PT for the right to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, scheduled for May 9-11 at campus sites.
 
After super regionals, the remaining teams converge on Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center from May 15-18 for the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
 
This marks the second straight season in which Cal will open the NCAA tournament against Sacramento State. Last year, the Bears shut out the Hornets 4-0 in their first-round meeting in Berkeley. In that match, Jessica Alsola and Lan Mi clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Mayya Gorbunova and Lou Baudouin to give Cal a 1-0 lead, and now former Bear Valentina Ivanov beat Gorbunova 6-0, 6-4 at court-one singles to clinch the victory.
 
NCAA Championship First Round
 
Vs. No. 75 Sacramento State (21-3)
Friday, May 2, 11 a.m. PT
Bill Quillian Tennis Stadium, Seattle, Washington
Live Stream
Live Scores
 
Last Time: Cal Reaches ACC Quarterfinals
Playing in its first ACC Championship in Cary, North Carolina, fifth-seeded Cal played its first match in the third round and upended Louisville 4-1 on April 17 to advance to the quarterfinals. Lan Mi and Naomi Xu defeated the Cardinals' Elisabeth lila and Elena Noguero 6-4 to clinch the doubles point. Xu later defeated lila 6-2, 7-6(3) to wrap up the match.
 
In the quarterfinals, Cal faced Virginia for the second time this season. In the first meeting during the regular season, the Bears defeated the then-No. 2 Cavaliers 4-1 in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the April 18 rematch, Cal fell to Virginia 4-0.
 
Alsola, Mushika Named To All-ACC Teams
Mao Mushika and Jessica Alsola became the first Golden Bears to earn All-ACC honors April 24, when the conference named Mushika to the singles second team and tabbed Alsola for the singles third team. The Golden Bear duo was also named to the All-ACC Second Team in doubles.
 
Both Bears are ranked in the latest ITA singles poll, with Mushika (18-12 record) at No. 31 and Alsola (18-11) at No. 56. The talented Bears also combine to form the nation's fourth-ranked doubles team (13-4).
 
Mushika has had an outstanding sophomore season that included competing in the NCAA Singles Championship and, with Alsola, in the NCAA Doubles Championship in November. The native of Ichinomiya, Japan, was the first Bear named an ACC Player of the Week in January and then combined with Alsola to earn the ACC Doubles Team of the Week laurel in March. Alsola, a senior, posted a 13-5 dual-match record in singles. She earned Cal's second ACC Player of the Week award in March after besting Virginia Tech's 30th-ranked Ozlem Uslu 6-1, 6-4 in the Bears' 6-1 rout of the Hokies and pairing with Mushika to clinch the doubles point at Virginia Tech and at Virginia, which also led to the two Bears collecting their ACC Doubles Team of the Week honor.
 
Poll Position
Cal was ranked 21st in the ITA Tennis team poll last week when it also collected six individual rankings. In singles, Mao Mushika (18-12) was ranked 31st, senior Lan Mi (23-7) was 47th, Jessica Alsola (18-11) was 56th and senior Katja Wiersholm (9-6) was 75th. The doubles duo of Alsola and Mushika (13-4) was ranked fourth, while Mushika and Wiersholm was ranked 36th (2-0). The ITA will announce new team and individual polls Thursday.
 
Cal was one of 16 ACC teams ranked last week including No. 5 North Carolina, No. 6 Virginia, No. 8 Duke, No. 11 NC State, No. 24 Notre Dame, No. 25 Stanford, No. 29 Georgia Tech, No. 35 Wake Forest, No. 36 Clemson, No. 51 SMU, No. 53 Miami, No. 57 Louisville, No. 58 Syracuse, No. 61 Florida State, No. 65 Virginia Tech.
 
Alsola, Mushika Earn ACC Weekly Honors
Jessica Alsola was named the ACC Player of the Week and paired with Mao Mushika to earn the ACC Doubles Team of the Week award, the conference office announced March 25. The Bears were honored for their play in Cal's victories at then-No. 2 Virginia and then-No. 54 Virginia Tech.
 
On March 21 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the 12th-ranked Cal tandem of Mushika and Alsola trailed top-ranked Melodie Collard and Elaine Chervinsky 4-1 before rallying to win 7-6(4) and clinch the doubles point of an eventual 4-1 win over the Cavaliers. On March 23 against the Hokies, Alsola paired with a different partner – Greta Greco Lucchina – to clinch the doubles point in a 6-4 win over Arina Gamretkaia and Tara Gorinsek. Alsola, ranked 115th, later bested 30th-ranked Ozlem Uslu 6-1, 6-4 in singles in Cal's 6-1 triumph.
 
This marks Cal's second ACC Player of the Week award, including Mushika's accolade on Jan. 14, and the first conference doubles honor for the Bears.
 
Scouting the Golden Bears

• Cal has a 78-42 all-time record in the NCAA Championship
• The Bears' best results in the NCAA team tournament came in 2008 and 2009, when Amanda Augustus – in her first two seasons as head coach – led them to runner-up finishes
• Cal has also won seven NCAA individual championships, including five in doubles (Augustus/Amy Jensen, 1988, 1999; Jensen/Claire Curran, 2000; Christina Fusano/Raquel Atawo, 2003; Mari Andersson/Jana Juricova, 2009) and two in singles (Suzi Babos 2006, Juricova 2011)
• Katja Wiersholm was one of four Bears – including Mao Mushika, Lan Mi and Jessica Alsola – who competed in the NCAA individual championships at Baylor last fall
• Wiersholm advanced to the NCAA singles round of 16 to earn All-America singles honors
• Alsola paired with Mushika at NCAA doubles
• Mushika reached the second round of NCAA singles in November
• Mushika was the first Bear to earn a weekly ACC honor when she was named the ACC Player of the Week on Jan. 14 after posting records of 3-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles in the Cal Winter Invitational
• Mi also advanced to the NCAA singles second round in the fall
• Freshman Greta Greco Lucchina, who joined the Bears in early January, has a 13-6 singles record
• Naomi Xu is 12-11 and fellow freshman Sophie Hernandez is 12-6 in singles
• Sophomore Tiziana-Marie Schomburg is 10-5 in singles
• Amanda Augustus – a Cal Athletics Hall of Famer, two time NCAA doubles champion, 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, 2021 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and five-time ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year – is in her 18th year as head coach at her alma mater
• Assistant coach and Cal alumna Stephanie Kusano Wallace in her first year on the Cal staff, while Cal alumna Jean Lozano is back as an assistant coach for the Bears

 Scouting the Hornets

• Sacramento State is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Championship
• The Hornets beat Northern Arizona 4-0 in the final to win their 13th Big Sky tournament title and is riding a six-match winning streak into NCAAs
• Six Hornets earned All-Big Sky honors – Reese Walker (singles first team, doubles honorable mention), Maddy Ferreros (singles first team), Lou Baudoin (singles second team, doubles second team), Elena Mercioiu (singles honorable mention), Emilija Praynte (doubles second team) and Palina Saulevich (doubles honorable mention)
• Saulevich and Walker won the flight B doubles title at the Cal Fall Invitational in September
• The pair of Ferreros and Irene Riva lost to Cal's Makenna Thiel and Berta Passola Folch in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in October
• Sophie Breault is in her fourth year as head coach of Sacramento State

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