{"id":427058,"date":"2026-01-23T01:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T01:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/427058\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T01:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T01:33:12","slug":"no-15-cal-heads-to-ita-kickoff-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/427058\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 15 Cal Heads To ITA Kickoff Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStephen Woo\/KLC fotos \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Naomi Xu and the Bears play in Austin for the chance to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.<\/p>\n

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WTEN1\/22\/2026 3:02 PM | By: Cal Athletics<\/p>\n


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\t\t\t\tThe 15th-ranked California women’s tennis team seeks a berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, as the Golden Bears start dual-match action this weekend in Austin, Texas. The Golden Bears face No. 25 Baylor in the season opener Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center. If Cal beats the Bears, it faces either host and 17th-ranked Texas or Arizona for the right to advance to the national tournament in February.\u00a0The four-team Texas tournament is one of 14 ITA Kickoff Weekends taking place around the country, with the 14 winners joining co-hosts Northwestern and Illinois at ITA\u00a0national indoors.
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\nITA Kickoff Weekend
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\nVs. No. 25 Baylor (2-0)
\n11 a.m. PT, Jan. 24
\nTexas Tennis Center, Austin, Texas
\nLive stream https:\/\/calbea.rs\/4bKktUT<\/a>
\nLive scores https:\/\/calbea.rs\/469qLtF<\/a>
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\nVs. No. 17 Texas (0-1) or Arizona (3-1)
\nTime TBA, Jan. 25
\nTexas Tennis Center, Austin, Texas
\nLive stream https:\/\/calbea.rs\/4bKktUT<\/a>
\nLive scores\u00a0https:\/\/calbea.rs\/469qLtF<\/a>
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\nPoll Position
\nAlong with their No. 15 ranking from Tuesday’s ITA team poll, the Bears earned numerous rankings from the ITA’s November individual polls: singles \u2013 No. 9 Berta Passola Folch<\/a> (18-4), No. 63 Naomi Xu<\/a> (6-5), No. 73 Mao Mushika<\/a> (9-5) and No. 92 Greta Greco Lucchina<\/a> (11-4); doubles \u2013 No. 77 Greco Lucchina\/Mushika (5-1) and No. 80 Laura Cilekova<\/a>\/Mushika (2-2).
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\nScouting the Bears<\/p>\n


\n\tBerta Passola Folch<\/a> capped an impressive fall season when the Cal senior reached the final of the NCAA Singles Championship in the first national individual tournament of her career and earned her first All-America honor along the way
\n\tThe Spaniard qualified for NCAAs by advancing to the semifinals at the ITA West Sectional Championships in Seattle
\n\tPassola Folch has won 10 of her last 11 singles matches
\n\tGreta Greco Lucchina<\/a>, a sophomore, also qualified for NCAA singles at ITA West Sectionals, winning a playoff match in Seattle to join Passola Folch in Orlando
\n\tFour Bears competed in NCAA singles in November, including Mao Mushika<\/a>, a junior who advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Conference Masters Championships to book her spot at nationals
\n\tThe Japan native garnered doubles All-America honors last year when she paired with former Bear Jessica Alsola<\/a> to earn the No. 4 ranking in the last ITA poll of the 2024-25 season
\n\tEarlier this fall, Mushika partnered with Greco Lucchina to win the doubles title at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in Berkeley to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship
\n\tAlso during ITA regionals, sophomore Naomi Xu<\/a> made a run to the singles final to claim her spot at NCAAs
\n\tThe Bears are led by interim head coach Kris Kwinta<\/a>, who is also in his fifth season at Cal as the Peter Wright Director of Men’s Tennis
\n\tFormer Cal All-Americans Stephanie Kusano Wallace<\/a> and Jean Lozano are assistant coaches for the Bears <\/p>\n

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\nLast Time Out
\nThe Bears hosted their annual Cal Winter Invitational to start the New Year, winning 19 of 25 matches in the tune-up event held last Friday through Sunday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts. Cal singles All-American Berta Passola Folch<\/a> won both of her singles matches, including a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 result over Stanford’s 67th-ranked Monika Ekstrand. The Bears’ 80th-ranked Mao Mushika<\/a> (a doubles All-American) and Laura Cilekova<\/a> posted a 7-6(2) victory over Cal Poly’s Candela Aparisi and Natalie Lynch.
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\nLast Time In The ITA Kickoff Weekend
\nIn January 2025, Cal won its ITA Kickoff Weekend opener over Grand Canyon 4-0 before falling to Oklahoma 4-1 in the final in Berkeley. Berta Passola Folch<\/a> and Tiziana-Marie Schombrug defeated GCU’s Angelina Mihajlovic and Bella Crossman 6-1 to clinch the doubles point over GCU. The 63rd-ranked Lan Mi<\/a> beat Dania Deaifi 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the overall match over the Antelopes for the 14th-ranked Bears.
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\nDespite wins over ranked opponents in doubles \u2013 Jessica Alsola<\/a> and Katja Wiersholm<\/a> beat OU’s 30th-ranked Julia Garcia Ruiz and Chloe Noel 6-2 \u2013 and singles \u2013 Alsola bested the 66th-ranked Emma Staker 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 \u2013 Cal lost to the 17th-ranked Sooners at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
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\nNext Time
\nCal hosts former conference opponents UCLA and USC in its first two home dual matches of the season. The Bears take on the 18th-ranked Bruins on Jan. 30 and host the No. 20 Trojans on Jan. 31 at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
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\nStay Posted
\nFor further coverage of the Bears, follow them on Instagram (@CalWomensTennis<\/a>), X (@CalWomensTennis<\/a>) and Facebook (\/CalWomensTennis\/<\/a>).
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