Despite not being able to play the final regular season tournament at home, Cal didn't have to travel far this past weekend, just hopping across the bay to play against top teams at the Stanford Invite. .
The first game of the weekend was Saturday morning against No. 17 Grand Canyon. The Bears took all five games, giving Lopez a clean sweep. THis accomplishments were particularly pleasing to the team.They lost to GCU both times they played last season.
“We don’t have a great record with them in the past.” Sophomore Jenna Corrigan said. “So it was really cool to be able to sweep them and show them how strong our program is, especially this year.”
Corrigan and her partner, fellow sophomore Portia Sherman; He didn't drop a game the entire tournament and had a particularly strong weekend. They won the matchup against GCU in two sets, setting the tone for the weekend. He then won the rest of the matches in straight sets.
The next challenge for this tournament is In the Pac-12 North Tournament held in Seattle a few weeks ago, Cal narrowly fell 2-3 to No. 12 Washington. The Bears were looking for redemption last weekend, and he got it.
“We came into this game well prepared,” Corrigan said. “Each pair watched a lot of film, sat down with the coaches and talked about what they were going to do for each match. I know what I was doing.'' I was focused…I think everyone had a lot of confidence and it showed on the court. ”
Cal ended up beating the Huskies 4-1, which was not only good for the team's spirit, but also good for their standings heading into this week's Pac-12 Championship Tournament.
ThSaturday's final game of the tournament was arguably the toughest, as the Bears faced the home team, the Cardinal, who are currently in third place and their deepest rival.
Before this weekend, Cal had played Stanford once this season. Pac-12 Southern Tournament held in Arizona. The game proved to be difficult, with Stanford dominating the Bears 5-0.
This loss lit a fire under the team, especially the team.Corrigan and Sherman. Cal fought hard against the Cardinal, but ultimately lost 4-1 to the powerhouse Cardinal again, with Corrigan and Sherman holding on for their only victory over their rivals. Although it was a tough loss, it will continue to be a great source of inspiration for the team as they prepare for the final tournament of the season.
The Pac-12 Championship Tournament is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Arizona. The Bears will face Washington in the first round, which will be their third game against the Huskies this season. Cal is ready for the challenge and looking to make a positive attitude change heading into the postseason.
“One of our coaches came up with the term 'celebration season' for us,” Corrigan said. “We're shifting our focus to having more fun, having fun and celebrating what a good team we are. And if we shift our focus to a 'celebratory season'…that's our I think it will bring a lot to the table. We aim for success this week and next. ”