OJAI, Calif. – Karla Popovic won at court-two singles to tie Saturday's Pac-12 Championship final at 1-1, but second-seeded California didn't win another match as top-seeded Stanford prevailed 4-1 at Libbey Park to capture the first conference tournament team title. The match ended when 38th-ranked Cal senior Maegan Manasse lost to Stanford's 41st-ranked Caroline Doyle, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, on court one.

The 13th-ranked Popovic beat the Cardinal's 26th-ranked Melissa Lord, 6-3, 6-3.

The Golden Bears, ranked 11th and 16th in the two national polls and with a record of 17-5, now await the NCAA selection show on Tuesday to find out their next opponent. Cal is likely to host NCAA first- and second-round matches in mid-May.
 
The No. 5/6 Cardinal (21-2) – the defending NCAA champion as well as this year's Pac-12 regular season champ – also claimed the Pac-12's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with Saturday's victory.
 
"Stanford made some adjustments since we played them last week," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "It was a good match and much closer than the score indicated. We had our opportunities both in doubles and singles. There was a great crowd today, and there was high-level tennis on every court. Congratulations to Stanford."
 
On a warm day in Ojai, where temperatures reached the mid-80s, Stanford clinched the doubles point when the 82nd-ranked Emily Arbuthnott and Taylor Davidson beat the 36th-ranked Manasse and Maya Jansen, 6-3, on court one.
 
After Popovic won on court two in singles, Stanford reeled off three straight wins to end the final. Cal senior Denise Starr, ranked 124th, lost to the 59th-ranked Davison, 6-4, 6-3, on court three, and then Arbuthnott beat Maya Jansen, 6-1, 7-6(1), on court five, before the three-setter on court one clinched the match.
 
This was the first year of the Pac-12's team championship. The Pac-12 previously hosted singles and doubles tournaments, including last season when Manasse captured the singles crown and Cal's then-freshman Olivia Hauger won the singles invitational title in Ojai.
 
"This whole team tournament was very new to everyone this year," Augustus said. "And it was good for us to see where we're at fitness-wise; we hadn't played three matches in a row since February when we were indoors. We're right we're we need to be at physically.
 
"We're doing a lot of things well, but we'll go back home and correct a few things. We're excited for the NCAA tournament, because we've been building toward it all year."
 
Pac-12 Championship – Final
 
[1] No. 5/6 Stanford (21-2) defeated [2] No. 11/16 California (17-5), 4-1
April 28, 2017, in Ojai, Calif.
Libbey Park
 
Doubles
1. No. 82 Emily Arbuthnott/Taylor Davidson (Stanford) def. No. 36 Maegan Manasse/Maya Jansen (Cal), 6-3*
2. Olivia Hauger/Karla Popovic (Cal) vs. No. 43 Caroline Doyle/Melissa Lord (Stanford), 4-3 Unfinished
3. Emma Higuchi/Caroline Lampl (Stanford) def. Denise Starr/Stephane Lin (Cal), 6-2
 
Stanford won the doubles point.
 
Order of finish: 3, 1*
 
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 41 Caroline Doyle (Stanford) def. No. 38 Maegan Manasse (Cal), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3^
2. No. 13 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. No. 26 Melissa Lord (Stanford), 6-3, 6-3
3. No. 59 Taylor Davidson (Stanford) def. No. 124 Denise Starr (Cal), 6-4, 6-3
4. No. 90 Caroline Lampl (Stanford) vs. Olivia Hauger (Cal), 6-7, 6-2, 1-0 Unfinished
5. Emily Arbuthnott (Stanford) def. Maya Jansen (Cal), 6-1, 7-6(1)
6. Maria Smith (Cal) vs. No. 72 Emma Higuchi (Stanford), 4-6, 6-0, 2-1 Unfinished
 
Order of finish: 2, 3, 5, 1^
 
^Clinched the overall match