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Women's Tennis
BERKELEY - Newly ranked No. 6 in the latest Oracle/ITA poll, California rings in the New Year when it hosts the annual Cal Winter Invitational from Friday through Sunday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts. The Golden Bears will host players from Cal Poly, Fresno State and Saint Mary's for singles and doubles matches.
Men's Tennis
No. 21 Cal Starts New Year At No. 29 Tulsa: Bears Begin 2016 With A Nonconference Match
BERKELEY - No. 21 California begins the dual-match season with a nonconference clash at No. 29 Tulsa on Friday at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The Golden Bears are bringing a talented roster to Oklahoma that includes five ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams.
The match is the nightcap of a double header for the Golden Hurricane, which will take on crosstown rival Oral Roberts at 10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT on Friday.
Rugby
Cal Starts Spring 15s Saturday at UCLA: Bears Begin 15s Season
BERKELEY - Having turned to the 15-a-side game for its 134th year as the longest-tenured intercollegiate sport at the University of California, the Cal rugby program is in the homestretch of two weeks of double-day training sessions prior to the start of the spring semester and will soon break camp to begin its competition schedule Saturday and Sunday, January 16-17, in Los Angeles.
"Camp has gone well. We've battled some wet weather and a flu bug while getting through a lot of work," said head coach Jack Clark. "We have installed the basics of our technical systems and put some solid work into building the team culture we want."
The Dennis Storer Classic, named for UCLA's former head coach and the first coach of the U.S. National Team, is a two-day, tournament-style event offering opportunities for the majority of the Golden Bear roster to don the Blue and Gold and open their campaign. Cal will take on UC San Diego at 9:30 a.m. Saturday on North Athletic Field followed matches against UC Santa Cruz at noon and UC Davis at 1:40 p.m. (all times PT).
After their three-game debut on Saturday, the Bears will face UCLA at 1 p.m. on Sunday, when the boys from Berkeley could aim for their 11th straight Storer Classis title dating back to the event's origin in 2006. Last year, Cal went 4-0 and outscored the opposition, 172-10, to win the 2015 Classic.
"UCLA has really gone from strength to strength under Scott Stewart's coaching," Clark said. "They are a difficult team to break down and they play hard for one another."
Softball
Softball Bears Work Toward New Season: Cal Focuses On The Details In First Practice Of 2016
BERKELEY - After wet weather saturated the Bay Area overnight, the Cal softball team had to adapt a bit and move from its normal field to the turf when it met for the first official practice of the 2016 season.
The skies could have still been pouring rain and it probably wouldn't have mattered. Nothing was going to dampen the Bears' enthusiasm for the return of softball in Strawberry Canyon.
The excitement of a new season carries with it plenty of optimism for head coach Diane Ninemire and the Bears. Wednesday marked the official start of a 55-game journey yet to come, and Cal will practice for the next few weeks in advance of a season-opening trip to the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. from Feb. 12-14.
"We're really slowing it down and taking it one day at a time," said junior infielder Kylie Reed. "Focusing on the little things I think is going to be huge for this team. Everybody pulling their own weight, doing their own job and, once we perfect those little things, everything's going to add up and we'll be able to win some games."
Women's Basketball
BERKELEY -- California begins the first leg of a two-week road trip this Friday in Oregon, where the Golden Bears (10-5, 1-3 Pac-12) face off against defending Pac-12 champion, the No. 21 Oregon State Beavers (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12). The action gets underway Friday at 8 p.m.
The game airs live on Pac-12 Bay Area and Pac-12 Oregon, with Mary Murphy and Ann Schatz on the call. Live stats are available on OSUBeavers.com. For behind-the-scenes photos and updates, follow the @CalWBball Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Men's Basketball
Cal tips-off tonight against its heated rival, Stanford, for the first time this season.