Cal Concludes Play In Hawaii
Robert Edwards/KLC photo
Makenna Thiel finished 2-1 in singles in Hawaii.
HONOLULU – California women’s tennis wrapped up play at the University of Hawaii’s Weinman Foundation Invitational on Saturday, with Jessica Alsola, Berta Passola Folch and Makenna Thiel winning in singles at the UH Tennis Complex.
Alsola, a sophomore ranked 16th in singles, defeated Iowa State’s 114th-ranked Sofia Cabezas, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Thiel, also a sophomore, defeated Christin Hsieh of Iowa State, 6-2, 6-4, while Passola Folch, a freshman, defeated Klara Novakova of Hawaii, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 . All three Bears each finished 2-1 in singles in Hawaii.
Cal returned to Hawaii for the Weinman Foundation Invitational with the help of the Newmark Award, an annual recognition given to the Cal teams with the best cumulative grade point averages in various categories in the previous year.
“I want to thank Kent and Pat Newmark for helping make this trip possible for our team,” said Cal coach Amanda Augustus, whose team won the Newmark Award last year — as Cal’s “little” team with the grade better average. – to earn a $7,500 salary for its operating budget. “I’m just proud of the team that is motivated academically so we can come to Hawaii again. And I want to thank Jun Hernandez, the head coach at Hawaii who used to be the Bear coach, who was able to accommodate us.”
Players from No. 12 Cal., No. 14 USC, No. 22 Iowa State, Hawaii and Washington State played in singles and doubles at the invitational, although no champions were chosen.
“We had a lot of great competition this week and played some teams we haven’t seen in a long time,” Augustus said. “It was great to be back on court. We had a bunch of three-set matches so we got to see where our fitness was. Having a new player in Berta, we used the trip to see some different combinations in double. and see what we have to fix.”
And speaking of the youngest Bear…
“She did great,” Augustus said. “It was fun to see her in a Cal uniform for the first time. She was able to graduate high school early — because she’s a very good student — and join us. She’s a great addition to the team and fits in really well good with our team culture. We haven’t started school at Cal yet, so this was a good way for her to get to know her teammates and get on the court with them. We’re excited to have her that.”
The Bears return to action on Friday when they host the three-day Cal Winter Invitational, with players from Saint Mary’s, San Francisco and Cal Poly joining the Bears in Berkeley.
Weinman Foundation Invitational – Results of Cal
January 7, 2023, in Honolulu, Hawaii
UH Tennis Complex
Single
No. 16 Jessica Alsola (Cal) def. No. 114 Sofia Cabezas (Iowa State) 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
No. 57 Thasaporn Naklo (Iowa State) def. Haley Giavara (Cal) 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (7-5)
Berta Passola Folch (Cal) def. Klara Novakova (Hawaii) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1
Miska Kadleckova (Iowa State) def. 93 Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal) 7-5, 6-3
Makenna Thiel (Cal) def. Christin Hsieh (Iowa State) 6-2, 6-4
Alexis Merrill (Hawaii) def. Cami Brown (Cal) 6-3, 6-3
Madison Kim (Hawaii) def. Erin Richardson (Cal) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
double
Sofia Cabezas/Miska Kadleckova (Iowa State) def. Katja Wiersholm/Hanna Viller Moeller (Cal), 6-4
Thasaporn Naklo/Anna Supapitch Kuearum (Iowa State) def. Haley Giavara/Jessica Alsola (Cal), 6-2
Alexis Merrill/Rita Pinto (Hawaii) def. Erin Richardson/Berta Passola Folch (Cal), 6-3
Anna Kern/Madison Kim (Hawaii) def. Cami Brown/Mackenna Thiel (Cal), 6-3
