BERKELEY – With a chance to solidify its seeding in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament and improve its postseason chances, No. 31 California defeated Washington, 4-1, on Friday evening at the Hellman Tennis Complex. After the Golden Bears lost the doubles point, they used some dominant singles play to come back, with Jacob Brumm clinching the match on court six.
 
Brumm, a freshman, beat UW's Piers Foley, 7-6(4), 6-1, to give Cal a win in its next-to-last home match of the regular season and also give the Bears a 3-3 record in the Pac-12 Conference; Cal's 11-7 overall. Washington now has a 13-11 (2-5 Pac-12) record.
 
Washington took a 1-0 lead when it won the doubles point. The Huskies' Foley and Jake Douglas beat freshmen Dominic Barretto and Ben Draper, 6-4, on court three and then clinched the point when Kawika Lam and Enzo Sommer upset the 35th-ranked senior duo of Billy Griffith and J.T. Nishimura, 7-5, on court one.
 
The Bears mixed up their usual court two and court three doubles teams, as Draper usually partners with freshman Jack Molloy on two and Barretto normally pairs with freshman Can Kaya on three. Molloy and Kaya trailed the Huskies' Jack Davis and Mitch Stewart, 5-4, on court two when UW clinched.

After losing twice in doubles (and falling behind in the other, unfinished match), the Bears quickly turned things around in singles, winning all six first sets. Draper tied the match at 1-1 when he topped Amit Batta, 6-4, 6-3, on court four and then the 58th-ranked Griffith knocked off the 62nd-ranked Douglas, 6-4, 6-2, on court one to give Cal a 2-1 lead.
 
Molloy bested Sommer, 6-3, 6-4, on court three to make it a 3-1 Cal advantage, before Brumm topped Foley to end the match. Nishimura was close to clinching, but his court-two match with the 84th-ranked Stewart went unfinished with the Cal veteran leading 5-1 in the third set. Cal's Paul Barretto also had a chance to secure the victory on court five against Davis, as the freshman won the first set 6-3 and battled Davis to a second-set tiebreak. But Davis won the tiebreak to force a third set that was wiped out when Brumm clinched.
 
"We shuffled our doubles lineup today, but it didn't seem to work too well," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "Washington is always at tough team to play against, and they play with a lot of heart. Fortunately, we came out strong in the singles and won all six first sets. We've played so many away matches this year, which has given us incredible growth opportunities, but it felt so good to be home today with our vocal crowd behind us."
 
Cal plays its last home match of the regular season on Saturday at 1 p.m., when the Bears host Oregon in another Pac-12 clash. The Bears will honor Billy Griffith and J.T. Nishimura before the match on Senior Day and will honor their alumni and the memory of alumnus Jim McManus as part of McManus Legends Day.
 
"We're looking forward to Senior Day and McManus Legends Day tomorrow," Wright said. "Billy Griffith and J.T. Nishimura have been such integral parts of our team these last four years, and this year they've been incredible leaders."
 
The Cal-Oregon match is a pivotal one in the conference. Oregon was in fourth place in the Pac-12 with a 3-3 record entering the day, and Cal was fifth. But the Ducks' 4-1 loss at Stanford on Friday coupled with Cal's Friday win means that Cal moves into fourth place, while Oregon drops into fifth.

No. 31 California (11-7, 3-3 Pac-12) defeated Washington (13-11, 2-5 Pac-12), 4-1
April 20, 2018, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. Kawika Lam/Enzo Sommer (UW) def. No. 35 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 7-5*
2. Jack Davis/Mitch Stewart (UW) vs. Can Kaya/Jack Molloy (Cal), 5-4 Unfinished
3. Piers Foley/Jake Douglas (UW) def. Dominic Barretto/Ben Draper (Cal), 6-4
 
UW won the doubles point
 
Order of Finish: 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 58 Billy Griffith (Cal) def. No. 62 Jake Douglas (UW), 6-4, 6-2
2. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) vs. No. 84 Mitch Stewart (UW), 6-1, 4-6, 5-1 Unfinished
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Enzo Sommer (UW), 6-3, 6-4
4. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Amit Batta (UW), 6-4, 6-3
5. Paul Barretto (Cal) vs. Jack Davis (UW), 6-3, 6-7(6) Unfinished
6. Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. Piers Foley (UW), 7-6(4), 6-1^
 
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3, 6^
^Clinched the overall match