Clemson Falls To Cal, 4-2, At USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships

Feb. 7, 2008

MADISON, WI – The Clemson women’s tennis team claimed the doubles point for a 1-0 lead but won just one singles match to drop a 4-2 decision to #7 California in the first round of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Thursday.

The Tigers (3-2) will face Fresno State on Friday at 10:00 am (EST) at the Nielsen Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Livestats for the match are available on the ITA’s website.

Highlighting the singles action was sophomore Ani Mijacika’s win over 10th-ranked Susie Babos at the top position. Mijacika, the nation’s #4 singles player, avenged a three-set loss to the Cal player in the finals of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships last October. The two players had also faced off in the NCAA Round of 16 last May, but the match was called after the Bears won their fourth point to advance to the quarterfinals.

On Thursday, Mijacika prevailed in a hard-fought first set that went to 11-9 in the tiebreak. The Makarska, Croatia native then defeated Babos, 6-4, for the straight-set victory.

In doubles action, Mijacika teamed with Estefania Balda for an 8-6 win against Marina Cassou and Claire Ilcinkas at the number two position. Ina Hadziseilmovic and Alexandra Luc then defeated Bojana Babusic and Christina Visico, 8-4, at flight three to clinch the point for Clemson. The Tigers have now won the doubles point in each of their five matches this season.

At number one doubles, Cal’s #36th-ranked team of Babos and Stephanie Kusano edged Clemson’s duo of Carol Salge and Federica van Adrichem, 9-7.

Ilcinkas tied the match at 1-1 with a win over Tiger Hadziselimovic, 6-4, 6-3, at flight five. The Bears then led 3-1 as Salge fell to Cassou at the number two spot (7-5, 6-2) and Visico defeated Balda at flight three, 6-2, 7-6(6).

Mijacika’s win gave Clemson its second point of the day, but Kusano won a three-set match against Luc at flight three (1-6, 6-2, 6-3) to clinch the Cal victory.

Federica van Adrichem and Bojana Babusic were in the third set at flight four when play was called.

#7 California 4, #16 Clemson 2

Doubles 1. #36 Babos/Kusano (Cal) def. Salge/Van Adrichem (CU), 9-7 2. Balda/Mijacika (CU) def. Cassou/Ilcinkas (Cal), 8-6 3. Hadziselimovic/Luc (CU) def. Bobusic/Visico (Cal), 8-4

Singles 1. #4 Ani Mijacika’s (CU) def. #10 Susie Babos (Cal), 7-6(9), 6-4 2. Marina Cassou (Cal) def. #84 Carol Salge (CU), 7-5, 6-2 3. Christina Visico (Cal) def. Estefania Balda (CU), 6-2, 7-6(6) 4. #53 Federica van Adrichem (CU) vs. #31 Bojana Babusic (Cal), dnf 5. Claire Ilcinkas (Cal) def. Ina Hadziselimovic (CU), 6-4, 6-3 6. Stephanie Kusano (Cal) def. Alexandra Luc (CU), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 Order of Finish – 5, 2, 3, 1, 6

Records: California, 2-0; Clemson 3-2