High expectations aren’t unusual for the Cal women’s tennis team. It comes with the territory of being a perennially highly ranked program.
In the aftermath of a disappointing run at the All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Cal will head 12 miles east to Moraga for the Saint Mary’s Invitational.
“This is the time for people to step up, for upsets to happen, and for surprises,” said coach Amanda Augustus. “I see it as an opportunity, not a challenge.”
With match play starting on Friday and concluding on Sunday, the Bears will look to repeat the success they had at the Cal Nike Invitational and forget the disappointment of the All-American championships last weekend.
The Bears started off the fall campaign by winning both the singles and doubles draw at the Cal Nike Invitational, but their momentum quickly evaporated as no Cal players would advance past the second round of the All-American Championships.
The 11 teams that will send players to contend for the Saint Mary’s Invitational include Washington, Santa Clara and Pac-12 juggernaut No. 5 Stanford.
Because of the many schools and players attending, there is always a risk of players dropping out at the last second due to injuries. Even if only one player drops out late, the entire draw is thrown into whack. Therefore, the tournament draw won’t be released until right before the it begins.
Unfortunately for the Bears, they will be without their top four players. Zsofi Susanyi, Tayler Davis, Annie Goransson and Anett Schutting will get the weekend off after partaking in the All-American.
Competing for the Bears will be juniors Alice Duranteau and Kelly Chui, sophomores Cecilia Estlander and Laura Posylkin and freshmen Lynn Chi and Klara Fabikova. The doubles teams for Cal will be Fabikova and Chi, Duranteau and Posylkin and Estlander and Chui.
At last year’s Saint Mary’s Invitational, Duranteau took home the gold for the Bears in the singles title.
Without Cal’s de facto leaders on the court, the tournament provides an opportunity for the six Bears to step up and become leaders.
“Everyone can be a leader,” Duranteau said. “When all the seniors are gone, it’s definitely an opportunity.”
For the participating Bears, this will be the first tournament away from home this fall. And although Moraga is only a 20-minute drive away, the trip provides the Bears with an opportunity to grow as a team.
“There’s a different pressure playing at home,” Duranteau said. “It’s your territory so you have to play really well. Being on the road is really nice. It’s where bonds are made.”
Augustus will use the weekend as another step in the evaluating process. Because team-oriented play doesn’t begin until the spring, the most important part of the fall season is to see improvements across the board.
“The fall is an opportunity for everyone,” Augustus said. “But our goal isn’t to peak right now; the fall is a building period.”
Augustus did make it clear, however, that despite competing without her star players on the court, her expectations of taking home the gold won’t change for this tournament.
“We have the same expectations for everyone on the team once they come through that door,” she said.
Sean Wagner-McGough covers women’s tennis. Contact him at [email protected]
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