OJAI, Calif. – Unlike in last year's Pac-12 Championship – in which California beat USC in the semifinals to reach the final against UCLA – the second-seeded Golden Bears fell to the third-seeded Trojans, 4-1, on Friday to end their run in the conference tournament.
 
Seventh-ranked USC moves on to face the top-seeded and fifth-ranked Bruins on Saturday for the Pac-12's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Tenth-ranked Cal, with an 18-7 record, now awaits the NCAA selection show on Tuesday to find out its next opponent.
 
"We struggled to find our form today, and it's clear USC adapted to the windy conditions better than we did," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "Give them credit for playing a good match today. We can do a much better job of managing our energy and being smarter out there. We didn't do as good a job of exploiting their weaknesses. At this point in the season, we have to be playing well on all six courts, and we can't afford to lose our focus the way we did today.
 
"The good news is that we have a heck of a team, and I'm excited about heading into the NCAAs with this group. They're a talented bunch, and they're passionate about getting the most out of themselves and each other, so I know we'll be ready in two weeks when we host the first two rounds of the NCAAs."
 
Against the Trojans, the Bears won the first match of the day in doubles, as the 74th-ranked pair of senior Andre Goransson and junior Billy Griffith beat Nick Crystal and Laurens Verboven, 6-2, on court two. But the fourth-ranked team of seniors Florian Lakat and Filip Bergevi lost in an upset to Brandon Holt and Riley Smith, 6-3. That left a close court-three match to decide the doubles point, with Cal junior J.T. Nishimura and freshman Bjorn Hoffmann ultimately losing to Rob Bellamy and Jaede, 7-5, to give the point to the Trojans.
 
The Bears then lost the first two matches in singles to trail 3-0, as Hoffmann lost to Riley Smith, 6-3, 6-1, on court six, and then the 88th-ranked Griffith lost to Jaede, 6-4, 6-1, on court four.
 
Bergevi pulled a point back for Cal when he bested Logan Smith, 6-4, 6-2, on court three and made the score 3-1. But USC clinched the victory when Crystal beat the 60th-ranked Goransson, 7-6, 6-2, on court two.

Pac-12 Championship – Semifinal Round

[3] No. 7 USC (24-5) defeated [2] No. 10 California (18-7), 4-1
April 28, 2017, in Ojai, Calif.
Libbey Park
 
Doubles
1. Brandon Holt/Riley Smith (USC) def. No. 4 Florian Lakat/Filip Bergevi (Cal), 6-3
2. No. 74 Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (Cal) def. Nick Crystal/Laurens Verboven (USC), 6-2
3. Rob Bellamy/Jack Jaede (USC) def. Bjorn Hoffmann/J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 7-5*
 
USC won the doubles point
 
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3*
 
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 12 Florian Lakat (Cal) vs. No. 23 Brandon Holt (USC), Unfinished
2. Nick Crystal (USC) def. No. 460 Andre Goransson (Cal), 7-6, 6-2^
3. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Logan Smith (USC), 6-4, 6-2
4. Jack Jaede (USC) def. No. 88 Billy Griffith (Cal), 6-4, 6-1
5. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) vs. Thibault Forget (USC), Unfinished
6. Riley Smith (USC) def. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal), 6-3, 6-1
 
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 2^
 
^Clinched the overall match