OJAI, Calif. – In a marathon match that took five hours and six minutes to complete, fourth-seeded and 45th-ranked California lost in an upset to fifth-seeded and 48th-ranked Washington State, 4-3, in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Championship on Thursday at the Weil Tennis Academy. In the clinching match, Cal junior Maria Smith erased six match points against before falling to the Cougars' Tiffany Mylonas, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5), at court-four singles.
 
The Golden Bears led 3-1 when Cal freshman Vivian Glozman defeated Aneta Miksovska 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, on court five – before the Cougars began their furious comeback.
 
The two teams split the season series, 1-1, as the Bears defeated Washington State, 4-3, in a Pac-12 regular-season match in Pullman, Washington, on April 14.
 
"Washington State competed very hard and had a close one with us a couple weeks ago," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "We expected a close one today. We did a lot of things well and have a couple of things to work on. Hopefully we'll get to keep playing this season as a team and have individuals competing as well."
 
Cal lost the doubles point, with WSU's 84th-ranked Mylonas and Guzal Yusupova beating Cal freshmen Anna Bright and Hana Mraz, 7-5, on court two to clinch the point. This was the first time the two Bears played together in doubles. Thursday also marked the first pairing for Glozman and freshman Julia Rosenqvist, whose match against Barbora Michalkova and Melisa Ates on court one was abandoned at 6-6 when the Cougars clinched the doubles point.
 
The Bears built their 3-1 lead in singles with wins by the 47th-ranked Olivia Hauger (over Michalkova, 6-2, 6-1, on court 3), the 42nd-ranked Bright (over Yusupova, 6-3, 6-4, on 4) and Glozman. But three-set losses on courts six and one left court four to decide things.
 
Late in the third set on court four, with Smith trailing 5-4, she fought off match points against when down 40-30 and tied 40-40 to finally win the game and tie the set, 5-5. She did the same when trailing 6-5 and down 40-30 and tied 40-40. In the third-set tiebreak, Smith rebounded when facing match points against at 6-3 and 6-4, before Mylonas finally prevailed.
 
"Maria's a warrior," Augustus said. "She fought valiantly. It was a really good match, with two players competing their hearts out for their teams. We were a little bit short. Maria's a Bear through and through. Her teammates love competing with her and they were supporting and encouraging her. She gave it everything she had. I'm really, really proud of all the girls and of the fight and effort we put out on the court today. We'll learn from it and get better for the next one."
 
Regarding the length of the match, Augustus said, "That's our conference, and that's what makes our conference better – getting through matches like that. It helps build the team on a lot of levels."
 
Cal now waits for the NCAA selection show on May 1 to find out its postseason fate.

Pac-12 Championship Quarterfinal Round
[5] No. 48 Washington State (21-6) defeated [4] No. 45 Cal (11-9), 4-3
April 26, 2018, in Ojai, Calif.
Weil Tennis Academy
 
Doubles
1. Vivian Glozman/Julia Rosenqvist (Cal) vs. Barbora Michalkova/Melisa Ates (WSU), 6-6 Unfinished
2. No. 84 Guzal Yusupova/Tiffany Mylonas (WSU) def. Anna Bright/Hana Mraz (Cal), 7-5*
3. Aneta Miksovska/Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) def. Olivia Hauger/Maria Smith (Cal), 6-1
 
Washington State won the doubles point
 
*Clinched the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
 
Singles
1. No. 26 Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) def. No. 38 Julie Rosenqvist (Cal), 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
2. No. 42 Anna Bright (Cal) def. Guzal Yusupova (WSU), 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 47 Olivia Hauger (Cal) def. Barbora Michalkova (WSU), 6-2, 6-1
4. Tiffany Mylonas (WSU) vs. Maria Smith (Cal), 3-6, 7-6, 7-6(5)
5. Vivian Glozman (Cal) def. Aneta Miksovska (WSU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
6. Melisa Ates (WSU) def. Hana Mraz (Cal), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
 
^Clinched the overall match
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 5, 6, 1, 4^