With an upset 4-2 win over top-ranked Northwestern Saturday, the eight-seeded Cal women's tennis team advanced to the final four of the NCAA championships in back-to-back years.

Still, the mood afterwards was quite different than last year's quarterfinal win over Georgia.

In 2007, emotions got the best of Cal, who was knocked out in the next round. This year's squad, meanwhile, appears to have learned a lesson and won't celebrate until the job is finished.

"The goal is extremely different this year than last year," senior Stephanie Kusano said. "We know what it takes to get to the semis, and we worked all year to win it all, so we're going to stay focused on that."

Despite losing the doubles point, the Bears stormed back in singles and claimed four of the five matches that were completed to edge out the Wildcats. Playing on court one, senior Susie Babos knocked out freshman Maria Mosolova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to seal the win for Cal.

"I was down that third set, and as soon as I came back, I knew she was really tired and all over the place, and I was like, 'OK freshman, I guess it's my time,'" Babos said.

While it was Babos who finished the match, the players on courts three though six started strong for the Bears and set the tone in singles by claiming the first set in each of their respective matches. Cal never looked back after that, and only Georgia Rose was able to claim a singles point for Northwestern with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Marina Cossou.

"We had great performances from one through six," coach Amanda Augustus said. "I think definitely three through six showed that we can play the long points better and we can play smart tennis in singles."

The Bears' single play stepped up in both their dual matches in Tulsa thus far. Cal also had to win four singles matches on Thursday in its round of 16 match against Duke to escape with a win.

With doubles play inevitably growing tougher with each match, the Bears have been working in practice to keep in sync and break the slump.

"Stephanie played fabulous against Northwestern, and I was not there to help her, so I was holding her back a bit," Babos said. "I had to work on some specific shots today, so hopefully tomorrow we can be a team again."

Today's match against fifth-seeded Baylor marks the seventh final four appearance ever for Cal. It must go through the Lady Bears, who defeated Stanford 4-1 in the quarterfinals, to claim a spot in the championship match for the first time in program history.

The two teams have only matched up once in the past, but Augustus said the unfamiliarity will help the Bears stay focused on improving their own game and bringing their best.

After last year's narrow 4-2 defeat to eventual champion Georgia Tech, this Cal squad should know what it will take to make a run at the title-no early celebrations, no tears, and most certainly no satisfaction.

"Having huge emotions won't help because it's a waste of energy," Babos said. "We know there's still a job to do. We're still hungry."

"No pun intended," added Kusano.

Tags: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS