MADISON, Wis. – It was a tough first round for the Badgers at the 2016 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship. California (3-0), who entered the match ranked sixth in the ITA rankings and seeded fourth in the tournament, handed UW its first loss of the season by a score of 4-0.

"We knew going into this match that there was going to be a very big uphill battle with the level that Berkeley has been at the last couple years and obviously this year is no different," stated head coach Tina Samara. "I think what we saw today was the depth that these top 10 programs have from one through six. There isn't one in that lineup that there's just a simple game plan that you go out and execute and win. That's the lesson we were probably expecting to learn in today's match."

The Badgers dropped the first two doubles matches to give the doubles point to California. Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr teamed up to take down Lauren Chypyha and Kendall Kirsch, 6-2, followed by the duo of Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger who knocked off Sydney Rider and Ekaterina Stepanova, 6-2. In addition, Lauren Burich and Kelsey Grambeau trailed Lynn Chi and Maria Smith, 3-5, however, that match went unfinished after Cal clinched the doubles point.  

UW looked to make up lost ground on the singles courts, however, Cal's depth was too much for the Badgers to overcome. Hauger, ranked 81st in the nation, and Starr knocked off Rider and Maria Avgerinos, each by the score of 6-1, 6-1. In addition, Lynn Chi took down Kirsch by a score of 6-3, 6-1.  

With the score already at 4-0, Burich, Stepanova and Chypyha were all unable to finish their matches, but that didn't mean their effort went unnoticed. Chypyha was in great position after winning the first set over Maegan Manasse, who entered the match ranked No. 5 in the nation by the ITA, before her match was ended at 7-5, 1-1.  

"Obviously for Chypys, this was a great result for her even though she didn't get to finish which is a bummer," stated Samara. "Hopefully this match will help her see that she can compete with the very best and not just with the top 50 or so. She's right there with the best."

Burich was down 1-6, 1-5, to Karla Popovic, while Ekaterina Stepanova bounced back after a first set loss against No. 10 Klara Fabikova to make the score 0-6, 5-4, before the conclusion of her match.  

"For Kate, after getting down 6-0 in the first set, we changed the game plan which was very much out of her comfort zone," added Samara. "That ended up putting her up 4-1 and then 5-4 before we had to stop."

The 2016 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship will resume tomorrow, Feb. 6, at 9:00 a.m. at Nielsen Tennis Stadium and the Badgers will take the court against Texas A&M. The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Results
Wisconsin 0 – #6  California 4

Doubles
1. Manasse / Starr (CAL) def. Lauren Chypyha / Kendall Kirsch (UW), 6-2
2. Fabikova / Hauger  (CAL) def. Ekaterina Stepanova / Sydney Rider (UW), 6-2
3. Chi / Smith (CAL) vs. Lauren Burich / Kelsey Grambeau (UW), 5-3 (unfinished)