SURPRISE, Ariz. – To be the best for an entire season is not an easy thing to do. Exactly one week ago, Azusa Pacific proved that it was the team to beat at this year’s PacWest Championships by winning its regular season finale against Hawai`i Pacific.
Despite having a target on their back on all week, Azusa Pacific held off all challengers at the PacWest Championships, including the two-time defending champion Sharks with
Jacky Wagner taking the final set of the championships to give Azusa Pacific a 4-3 win over Hawai`i Pacific in the championship match on Saturday at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club.
With all other matches done, and the score tied 3-3, Wagner started a deciding set for the PacWest title against
Mihoki Miyahara, who had just won six of the last eight games to win the second set 7-5. It was the first set Wagner had dropped to an NCAA Division II opponent all season, but neither the momentum against her nor the pressure of the situation was too much for her to handle.
Wagner quickly shifted the momentum of the match, breaking her opponent twice in a row to take a 3-0 lead. Then at 5-1 in the deciding set, Wagner won championship point on her serve, sending her teammates rushing to court 15 at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club to celebrate the first conference title in the program’s 26-year history. It also made Azusa Pacific the first team in the 14 editions of the PacWest Championships not from the state of Hawai`i to lift the trophy.
Azusa Pacific did not have much room for error in their path to the title. Hawai`i Pacific got wins in straight sets from
Marleen Tilgner,
Elodie Busson and
Nicole Ballach in singles, needing to find a win in just one other place to win a third-consecutive title.
Madison Kane made sure that fourth point was not going to be won on her court, winning a lightning fast two sets, 6-0, 6-1 to put the Cougars ahead 2-0 after winning the doubles point. Azusa Pacific dominated doubles play with a 6-0 win at No. 2 and a 6-2 win at No. 3 by Kane and
Courtney Page to clinch the point.
Carolyn Brooner also earned an important victory in singles for the Cougars in their first time competing in the championship. Brooner faced challenges during the first two rounds of the PacWest Championships, and was looking to find her form at the right time. A transfer from Sonoma State, Brooner was no stranger to big moments at the PacWest Championships. She rose to the occasion and claimed a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles.
After Ballach’s win, Azusa Pacific led the match 3-2. Tilgner and PacWest Player of the Year
Petra Ivankovic were facing each other for the second time in eight days. Ivankovic won the first set in their first meeting, but this time it was Tilgner controlling the early part of the match as she raced to a 5-1 lead. However, Ivankovic got both breaks back to get back on serve before Tilgner took the opening set 6-4. Tilgner never trailed in the match and eventually won it 6-4, 6-4 to make the overall score 3-3 and shift all the attention to No. 3 singles.
Wagner had been racing through her matches at the PacWest Championships. In fact, she had won 33 of her last 35 games going into the championship match, including her win over Miyahara when they played a week earlier. She continued her pristine form, jumping out to a 6-2, 3-1 lead in the match.
Miyahara became the first player all season to disrupt Wagner’s dominance at No. 3 singles. She got back on serve and eventually took the set 7-5. Wagner responded to the challenge by the 2019 PacWest Championships Most Outstanding Player. She controlled the final set from beginning to end and won her match 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
Azusa Pacific will now go into the NCAA postseason as the PacWest’s automatic qualifier with an undefeated record against NCAA Division II programs. With this title, Azusa Pacific has now won a conference title in 11 of its 12 PacWest sports, getting just one away from a complete trophy case. For head coach
Mark Bohren this title now completes his set with a women’s tennis title to go alongside the 2018 men’s tennis title for the two-time PacWest Coach of the Year.
Concordia finished the 2021 PacWest Championships with its best finish, taking third place with a 4-1 win over Biola, whose fourth-place finish is also its best in program history. Biola’s
Colbeyshae Emery got a 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 1 singles in a matchup of two first-team All-PacWest selections. However, Concordia responded with a clinching win by
Tiffany Carrillo to take the match, 4-1.
In the fifth-place match, MSU Denver made history, becoming the first No. 9 seed in PacWest history to finish as high as fifth place after claiming a 4-2 win over Fresno Pacific.
Helena Steenberg clinched the win for the Roadrunners, 7-6(5), 6-4 as the Roadrunners finish the season with an impressive 14-10 record to complete their debut in the PacWest.
The seventh-place match was won by Point Loma, who defeated Academy of Art 4-1.
Thelma Sepulveda won her match 6-3, 7-5, helping the Sea Lions to end their season with a win. The Sea Lions battled with injuries all tournament, but were able to put everything together in the final day to earn the win.
Gabi Armas won the final match of her senior season 6-3, 6-4.
The NCAA selection show will be on May 4, where teams will find out if they made the NCAA West Regional and who awaits them in the first round of the NCAA postseason. The winner of the NCAA West Regional will enter an eight-team bracket at the national championships, which will be in Surprise, Arizona, as well.
PacWest Women's Tennis Championship
April 24, 2021 | Surprise, Ariz. | Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club
Championship Match - 9 a.m. (Pacific)
vs.
| Team Score |
| #1 Azusa Pacific (14-2) |
4 |
| #3 Hawai`i Pacific (7-2) |
3 |
| Doubles Scores |
| 1. |
Petra Ivankovic* |
Anna Savchenko |
APU |
3 |
30 |
| Marleen Tilgner |
Mihoki Miyahara |
HPU |
2 |
30 |
|
| 2. |
Carolyn Brooner |
Jacky Wagner |
APU |
6 |
0 |
| Elodie Busson |
Valentina Mokrova |
HPU |
0 |
0 |
|
| 3. |
Courtney Page |
Madison Kane |
APU |
6 |
0 |
| Nicole Ballach |
Marta Ruszczynska |
HPU |
2 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 2, 3
| Singles Scores |
| 1. |
Petra Ivankovic |
APU |
|
4 |
4 |
|
| Marleen Tilgner |
HPU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
| 2. |
Anna Savchenko |
APU |
|
2 |
5 |
|
| Elodie Busson |
HPU |
|
6 |
7 |
|
|
| 3. |
Jacky Wagner |
APU |
|
6 |
5 |
6 |
| Mihoki Miyahara |
HPU |
|
3 |
7 |
1 |
|
| 4. |
Carolyn Brooner |
APU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Valentina Mokrova |
HPU |
|
4 |
3 |
|
|
| 5. |
Madison Kane |
APU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
Marta Ruszczynska |
HPU |
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
| 6. |
Katia Betancourt |
APU |
|
3 |
2 |
|
| Nicole Ballach |
HPU |
|
6 |
6 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 4, 6, 1, 3
3rd Place Match - 9 a.m. (Pacific)
vs.
| Team Score |
| #2 Concordia (13-4) |
4 |
#4 Biola (13-6)  |
1 |
| Doubles Scores |
| 1. |
Ghazal Pakbaten |
Tiffany Carrillo |
CUI |
4 |
0 |
| Colbeyshae Emery |
Mary Brascia |
Biola |
4 |
0 |
|
| 2. |
Rebekah Anderson |
Taylor Lau |
CUI |
6 |
0 |
| Brooke Fager |
Lilly McNeill |
Biola |
4 |
0 |
|
| 3. |
Camila Tumosa |
Alyssa Zayat |
CUI |
6 |
0 |
| Amelia Kitts |
Ines Diaz |
Biola |
3 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 2, 3
| Singles Scores |
| 1. |
Ghazal Pakbaten |
CUI |
|
3 |
5 |
|
| Colbeyshae Emery |
Biola |
|
6 |
7 |
|
|
| 2. |
Camila Tumosa |
CUI |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Brooke Fager |
Biola |
|
4 |
3 |
|
|
| 3. |
Tiffany Carrillo |
CUI |
|
3 |
6 |
6 |
| Lilly McNeill |
Biola |
|
6 |
3 |
0 |
|
| 4. |
Taylor Lau |
CUI |
|
2 |
6 |
4 |
| Mary Brascia |
Biola |
|
6 |
4 |
0 |
|
| 5. |
Alyssa Zayat |
CUI |
|
2 |
5 |
|
| Ines Diaz |
Biola |
|
6 |
4 |
|
|
| 6. |
Kimia Rahmani |
CUI |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Madison Swaney |
Biola |
|
2 |
4 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 3
5th Place Match - 9 a.m. (Pacific)
vs.
| Team Score |
#9 MSU Denver (13-10)  |
4 |
| #6 Fresno Pacific (7-9) |
2 |
| Doubles Scores |
| 1. |
Brooklyn Ross |
Isabel Heras |
MSUD |
4 |
0 |
| Mariia Borodii |
Lea Falentin |
FPU |
6 |
0 |
|
| 2. |
Lilly Stienemeier |
Helena Steenberg |
MSUD |
6 |
0 |
| Sanne Brull |
Alice Di Matteo |
FPU |
4 |
0 |
|
| 3. |
Marie Cool |
Gala Castello |
MSUD |
6 |
0 |
| Alice Marques |
Daimy Paula |
FPU |
1 |
0 |
Order of Finish:
| Singles Scores |
| 1. |
Brooklyn Ross |
MSUD |
|
6 |
5 |
|
| Mariia Borodii |
FPU |
|
3 |
4 |
|
|
| 2. |
Helena Steenberg |
MSUD |
|
77 |
6 |
|
| Lea Falentin |
FPU |
|
65 |
4 |
|
|
| 3. |
Isabel Heras |
MSUD |
|
2 |
3 |
|
| Alice Di Matteo |
FPU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
| 4. |
Gala Castello |
MSUD |
|
4 |
4 |
|
| Alice Marques |
FPU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
| 5. |
Lilly Stienemeier |
MSUD |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Sanne Brull |
FPU |
|
2 |
4 |
|
|
| 6. |
Marie Cool |
MSUD |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Daimy Paula |
FPU |
|
3 |
1 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
7th Place Match - 9 a.m. (Pacific)
vs.
| Team Score |
#5 Point Loma (6-9)  |
4 |
| #7 Academy of Art (5-6) |
1 |
| Doubles Scores |
| 1. |
Gabi Armas |
Angelique Friedrich |
PLNU |
3 |
0 |
| Sofia Ragona |
Nicole Shiau |
ART U |
6 |
0 |
|
| 2. |
Samantha Neilson |
Faith Pearson |
PLNU |
6 |
0 |
| Julia Ortega |
Maria Casucci |
ART U |
2 |
0 |
|
| 3. |
Rachel Whittington |
Thelma Sepulveda |
PLNU |
6 |
0 |
| Erica Hellbe |
Aitana Comas |
ART U |
2 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
| Singles Scores |
| 1. |
Angelique Friedrich |
PLNU |
|
6 |
1 |
1 |
| Sofia Ragona |
ART U |
|
4 |
6 |
4 |
|
| 2. |
Thelma Sepulveda |
PLNU |
|
6 |
7 |
|
| Maria Casucci |
ART U |
|
3 |
5 |
|
|
| 3. |
Amanda Letzring |
PLNU |
|
1 |
4 |
|
| Nicole Shiau |
ART U |
|
6 |
2 |
|
|
| 4. |
Faith Pearson |
PLNU |
|
4 |
2 |
|
| Aitana Comas |
ART U |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
| 5. |
Rachel Whittington |
PLNU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Erica Hellbe |
ART U |
|
1 |
3 |
|
|
| 6. |
Gabi Armas |
PLNU |
|
6 |
6 |
|
| Julia Ortega |
ART U |
|
3 |
4 |
0 |
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 6, 2