MALIBU, Calif. – Billy Griffith won at court-four singles to clinch fourth-ranked California's 4-2 nonconference victory over Pepperdine on Sunday at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. In its last match before heading to the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship, Cal also got singles wins from seniors Florian Lakat and Andre Goransson and won the doubles point to top the Waves.
 
Cal improved to 3-0, while Pepperdine fell to 2-3.
 
All three doubles matches were close. Cal's third-ranked pair of Lakat and senior Filip Bergevi beat Stefan Menichella and Jack Van Slyke, 7-5, on court one to start things off. With court two knotted at 6-6 and in a tiebreaker – with Pepperdine's Guilherme Hadlich and Gabriel Sidney leading Goransson and Griffith 2-0 – Cal sophomore J.T. Nishimura and freshman Bjorn Hoffmann won a court-three tiebreaker to win 7-6(4) and clinch the point.
 
Lakat, ranked 11th in singles, then doubled Cal's lead at 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Hadlich on court one.
 
Pepperdine tied the match at 2-2 when Hoffmann dropped a 6-4, 6-4, result to Van Slyke on court five, and then freshman Connor Heap lost to Dane Esses on court six.
 
But the 27th-ranked Goransson followed with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Pedro Iamachkine on court two, and then the 40th-ranked Griffith, a junior, bested Lautaro Pane, 6-4, 7-6(5), on court four to wrap up the victory. On court three, Cal's 42nd-ranked Bergevi led Menichella 6-4, 6-7, 4-1 when Griffith clinched, with that match going unfinished.
 
"We had strong performances from our senior class today," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "The doubles point was key today as we had very strong winds for most of the day. Pepperdine gave us a true test today, and their guys fought hard. We jumped ahead in the singles, and the Pepperdine team bounced back to take some of the matches to a third set. It was an exciting match and I think our team is now better prepared to face the challenges ahead at the national team indoors later this week."
 
Cal next competes at national indoors starting Friday in Charlottesville, Virginia.