INDIAN WELLS, Calif./TEMPE, Ariz. – Anna Bright had a daunting task in the consolation singles final on Sunday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The unranked California freshman faced Florida's 15th-ranked and top-seeded senior Anna Danilina at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.
 
After surprisingly losing in straight sets to open the main draw, the Gator hadn't lost a set in the consolation bracket – until she faced Bright. A Florida product herself – Bright hails from Boca Raton – the first-year Bear won the first set 7-5 and could have wrapped up the victory had the second-set tiebreaker gone her way.
 
But her opponent prevailed, 7-6(3). Bright forged a 5-4 lead in the third set before Danilina clawed her way back to win the third set and the match, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5.
 
"Anna had a fantastic tournament and a tremendous fall," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "For a freshman to be in a final of fall nationals on the last day of the fall season, it speaks to what kind of competitor she is. She beat highly ranked opponents along the way to the final and lost a very exciting, hard-fought, competitive match, to Danilina, who was an NCAA singles quarterfinalist last year. I'm excited to see what she is able to do this spring."
 
This was the first season of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, which replaced the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Three Bears – Bright, senior Karla Popovic and junior Olivia Hauger – competed at fall nationals.
 
"It was great to have them be able to play on the stadium courts that the pros get to play in March here in Indian Wells," added Augustus, referencing the BNP Paribas Opens. "It was a great experience for Karla, Olivia and Anna."
 
Four more Bears – senior Audrey Mayer, junior Maria Smith and freshmen Jasie Dunk and Vivian Glozman – competed on Sunday at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and combined to post four wins on the day. In consolation singles, Smith upset TCU's 118th-ranked Donika Bashota, 6-3, 6-1, Glozman defeated Notre Dame's Zoe Spence, 7-5, 6-3, Dunk beat San Diego's Sophia Chow, 7-6(5), 6-3, and the pair of Mayer and Dunk knocked off Ohio State's Mary Beth Hurley and Andrea Ballinger, 7-6(3).
 
Glozman and Smith lost in doubles to the Sun Devils' Savannah Slaysman and Sasa Klanecek, 6-4, while Mayer fell to Oklahoma's Christiana Brigante, 6-1, 6-0.
 
"The Bears had a good final day with some quality singles wins at the Arizona State event," Augustus said. "With the first half of the season complete, we'll assess where everyone is at and formulate our plan for the next few weeks to get ready for January, which will come quite quickly."
 
Cal will next compete in the University of Hawaii's Weinman Foundation Invitational in Honolulu in early January.