ncaa championship

While the rest of the team left the season behind after the Bears’ early exit in the NCAA team tournament, Cal’s Yuta Kikuchi still has a Herculean task against him: the NCAA singles championship.

After facing 25 opponents, playing 75 doubles and 150 singles matches this spring, Cal men’s tennis finished out its season with a second-round 4-0 loss to No. 7 Michigan at the NCAA championship.

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Both players had commendable matches, but ended their runs relatively quickly: Alsola in the first round, Giavara in the third.

The stakes are high: Should they reach the round of 16, they would be selected for the All-American team, and a tournament win earns a wildcard into this year’s U.S. Open Championship.

Coming off the back of becoming regular season’s Pac-12 champions — with an 18-7 record in the spring — the Bears had hoped to continue their run in the NCAA national championship. Cal was bested by No. 6 North Carolina State 4-0 in Raleigh, leaving the tournament in the sweet 16.

Blanking the Lumberjacks with a 4-0 win, the Bears dealt seemingly just as easy with their second round opponents Texas Tech on Saturday, earning a trip to North Carolina for the round of 16.

The team once again earned the honor of hosting after a successful season and being seeded 11th. Going in the tournament with a 16-7 record, and as regular season Pac-12 champions, Cal has its sights set high.

The Bear hunt didn’t stop with their Pac-12 championship title — the team will attempt to tear through the competition in Oklahoma at the NCAA Regional Semifinals.

Winning this championship in dominant fashion was definitely well deserved, but breaking Stanford’s four-year championship run is perhaps the most gratifying aspect for Cal fans.