Jessica Alsola

Now, after a long summer, Cal women’s tennis will gear up and get back on the court for the Cal Fall Invitational and ITA-All American Championships.

Capping off a tough season for Cal women’s tennis, the two Bears that made it into the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments ended their short-lived postseason run.

The future of the program looks strong, as two of Cal’s best players — sophomores Katja Wiersholm and Jessica Alsola — find themselves at the USTA campus in Orlando, Florida, preparing for the national championship.

Despite fighting in a tough battle against the USD Toreros, the Bears lost 4-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament 4-1.

The Bears head to Austin, Texas for the first round of nationals to face San Diego on Friday after finishing out their season with a barely-winning 12-9 record.

The loss was an upset on the part of USC, as the Bears were seeded higher going into the tournament and were last year’s regular season champions.

Cal, last year’s regular season conference champion, will face the winner of Wednesday’s matchup of the No. 7-seeded Oregon Ducks and No. 10-seeded Colorado Buffs on Thursday to kick off the postseason.

Though Cal had beaten Stanford two consecutive times, this time, the Cardinal took home the win, avenging their previous losses with a dominant performance that resulted in a final 6-1 score.

No. 27 Cal will close off its regular season with a match against No. 7 Stanford on Friday at the Taube Tennis Center in Palo Alto.

Winning two matches in a row on Friday and Saturday, the Bears have risen in the national and conference rankings, allowing them to be well-positioned as postseason play rapidly approaches.