Julia Shen

Three out of the five starting players for Cal League of Legends are new additions, so the preseason will critical for building synergy as the team prepares for the 2020 College Championship.

Cal men’s tennis is gearing up for success in the new season. The team played its first matches of the fall last week, at two Bay Area competitions.

The Bears placed second overall with a record of 8-3, earning all three defeats in the final against ASU (10-1), the first-place winner.

Cal overcame both of its old rivals this year, and as the team entered semifinals, only UC Irvine stood in the way of its most successful run in the last four years.

The games were tense, with both teams struggling to keep their seasons alive and increase their potential tournament winnings — prizes start at $1,000 per player and doubles for improvement, going all the way up to $8,000 per player for first place.

Cal League of Legends beat the University of Calgary in an extremely close three-game series Saturday, ending the regular season with a 5-1 record. Before last weekend’s match, both Cal and Calgary were 4-1 overall, and teams must finish either 5-1 or 6-0 to advance to playoffs.

The team rallied against the University of California, San Diego for a long-awaited victory two weeks ago, and kept its streak going versus CU Boulder on Saturday, bringing Cal’s overall record to 4-1 and sustaining playoff dreams for now.

Last Saturday, that particular demon was finally laid to rest. Cal League of Legends defeated UCSD 2-1 in Lemons' final season, bringing the team to a 3-0 record and giving the senior captain some peace.

Whether you believe League of Legends champions control the weather or not, last weekend was a good one for Cal, as the team beat UC Santa Barbara 2-0 in the second week of the collegiate season.

Even with a relatively uncontested victory under its belt, Cal is preparing for a challenge. The Bears will compete against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos next Saturday as they hope to continue their strong start.