STANFORD, Calif. - Eighteenth-ranked California followed a similar script to beat No. 42 Stanford on Saturday at the Taube Tennis Center, as Gregory Bayane again defeated Robert Stineman in three sets to clinch the latest Golden Bear victory. Trailing after the first set, Bayane rebounded to claim a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, victory over Stineman on Saturday. On Feb. 24 in Berkeley, Bayane beat Stineman, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, to secure that match, which wound up with a 5-2 score.
Cal finishes the regular season with a 13-8 record (5-1 in the Pac-12), while Stanford has an 11-10 (3-4 Pac-12) record.
Just as on Feb. 24, Cal lost the doubles point to Stanford on Saturday. The Bears' 56th-ranked team of freshman Mads Engsted and junior Ben McLachlan fell in an upset to Stanford's Maciek Romanowicz and Robert Stineman, 8-6, on court two. On court one, the 33rd-ranked team of junior Campbell Johnson and senior Christoffer Konigsfeldt dropped a 9-7 match to the 68th-ranked Stanford duo of John Morrissey and Denis Lin to clinch the point for the Cardinal. Bayane and fellow sophomore Chase Melton then lost to Daniel Ho/Jamin Ball, 8-6, on court three.
In singles, the 37th-ranked McLachlan tied the team match with a 6-2, 6-4, win over No. 42 Morrissey, but Cal freshman Wyatt Houghton then lost to Trey Strobel, 6-2, 6-4, on court six, as Stanford reclaimed the lead at 2-1.
The Bears claimed the team win with successive victories on courts two, three and four. Konigsfeldt, ranked No. 78, beat No. 109 Paige, 6-4, 6-1, and then Johnson, ranked 56th, upended Romanowicz, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, before Bayane wrapped up the match on court four. A few of Bayane's exuberant teammates briefly celebrated with him on the court, as the Cal track and field team - which also competed at Stanford on Saturday - cheered on.
"We made some critical errors in the doubles, but we regrouped and came out with a lot of spirit in the singles," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "That's a very tough Stanford team to beat, especially at their place. We had outstanding performances from our top four players, with Gregory Bayane clinching his third straight match for us. Ben McLachlan played an almost flawless match and Campbell Johnson and Chris Konigsfeldt battled back after getting behind early in their singles matches.
"I have to give an assist to our men's and women's track and field teams who, after beating Stanford in the track meet, came over to cheer our guys to victory. They made a big difference at the end because it felt like a home crowd!"
Engsted, fell to Ho, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, on court five to make the final score 4-3.
Cal next competes in the Pac-12 Championships slated for April 24-28 in Ojai, Calif. As the third seed, Cal will begin play on Thursday, April 25.
No. 18 California 4, No. 42 Stanford 3
April 20, 2013, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Tennis Center
Doubles
1: No. 68 Morrisey/Lin (Stanford) def. No. 33 Johnson/Konigsfeldt (California) - 9-7
2: Romanowicz/Stineman (Stanford) def. No. 56 Engsted/B. McLachlan (California) (Stanford) - 8-6
3: Ho/Ball (Stanford) def. Bayane/Melton (California) - 8-6
(Stanford wins the doubles point)
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3.
*Clinched doubles point
Singles
1: No. 37 Ben McLachlan (California) def. No. 42 John Morrissey (Stanford) - 6-2, 6-4
2: No. 78 Christoffer Konigsfeldt (California) def. No. 109 Nolan Page (Stanford) - 6-4, 6-1
3: No. 56 Campbell Johnson (California) def. Maciek Romanowicz (Stanford) - 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
4: Gregory Bayane (California) def. Robert Stineman (Stanford) - 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
5: Daniel Ho (Stanford) def. Mads Engsted (California) - 2-6, 7-6(), 6-3
6: Trey Strobel (Stanford) def. Wyatt Houghton (California) - 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 2, 3, 4*, 5.
*Clinched match
Records: California 13-8 (5-1 Pac-12). Stanford 11-10 (3-4 Pac-12).
