LOS ANGELES - In a hard-fought battle between two former conference rivals, the California women's tennis team got singles wins from Greta Greco Lucchina, Lan Mi and Berta Passola Folch but lost to 18th USC 4-3 on Friday at Marks Tennis Stadium.

Cal's record stands at 1-3 after the contest against former Pac-12 opponent USC, which is now 5-1.
 
The Bears – whose previous contest was at UCLA on Feb. 2 – trailed the Trojans 1-0 after dropping the doubles point. Down 2-0 after a loss in singles, Cal began its comeback. Freshman Greta Greco Lucchina – in just her second month as a collegiate student-athlete – improved her singles record to 6-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over USC's 63rd-ranked Immi Haddad, and then senior Lan Mi, ranked 70th, followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win over the Trojans' Lily Fairclough. The match was tied 2-2.
 
Another loss for the Bears left them trailing 3-2 with two matches remaining that Cal had to claim to pull out the overall win. On court one, Cal's 65th-ranked Mao Mushika forced a third set against 43rd-ranked Grace Piper, while Cal's 106th-ranked Berta Passola Folch was locked in another three-setter with 71st-ranked Jana Hossam on court five. In the end, USC clinched its win when Piper beat Mushika 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to make the score 4-2. Passola Folch bested Hossam 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-4 to complete the match.
 
"I was really pleased with how the team competed today," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "A couple of points the other way, that's a 4-3 result for us. We worked really hard the last couple weeks since our last match, and it's starting to pay off. We're competing much better as a team and I was really encouraged with how hard we fought today. It's only our fourth dual match, and I'm excited this group gets another match tomorrow."
 
Cal plays at No. 25 Pepperdine on Saturday at noon PT.
 
No. 18 USC (5-1) defeated California (1-3), 4-3
Feb. 21, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Marks Tennis Stadium
 
Doubles
1. Mao Mushika/Berta Passola Folch (Cal) vs. No. 9 Lily Fairclough/Grace Piper (USC), 5-4 Unfinished
2. Sloane Morra/Jana Hossam (USC) def. Jessica Alsola/Naomi Xu (Cal), 6-3*
3. Emma Charney/Parker Fry (USC) def. Greta Greco Lucchina/Tiziana-Marie Schomburg (Cal), 6-0
 
Order of Finish – 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point for USC
 
Singles
1. No. 43 Grace Piper (USC) def. No. 65 Mao Mushika (Cal), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3^
2. No. 70 Lan Mi (Cal) def. Lily Fairclough (USC), 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 53 Emma Charney (USC) def. Jessica Alsola (Cal), 6-3, 6-1
4. Greta Greco Lucchina (Cal) def. No. 63 Immi Haddad (USC), 6-2, 6-2
5. No. 106 Berta Passola Folch def. No. 71 Jana Hossam (USC), 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-4
6. Maia Sung (USC) def. Tiziana-Marie Schomburg (Cal), 6-1, 6-4
 
Order of Finish – 3, 2, 4, 6, 1^, 5
^Clinched the overall win for USC
 
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