FINAL BRACKET
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Hawai`i Pacific and Azusa Pacific had each won two of the last four PacWest Championships, and the Sharks took a 3-2 lead among active schools for most PacWest titles after Mihoki Miyahara clinched the 2023 title with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles to give HPU a 4-2 win on Saturday at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Cub.
For the 20th season in a row, Hawai`i Pacific reached the PacWest Championships final and for the third time in a row, the opponent was Azusa Pacific. The Cougars won the previous two meetings in the PacWest final with Azusa Pacific getting the clinching win both times against Miyahara. This time, Miyahara, who was named the 2019 PacWest Championships MVP and earned the 2022 PacWest Sportsmanship award, came through with her fifth career win at the tournament.
Hawai`i Pacific rushed out to a 3-0 lead to start the match. The Sharks won doubles with a decisive 6-4 win at No. 3 doubles by Miyahara and Nicole Ballach. At No. 3 singles, Marleen Tilgner faced April Wong, who clinched the Cougars' 2022 PacWest title. Tilgner won the match 6-2, 6-0 to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. PacWest Player of the Year Elodie Busson then made the lead 3-0 with her 6-4, 6-3 win over two-time first-team All-PacWest honoree Madison Kane.
Azusa Pacific turned two its two most reliable players during the regular season to spark a comeback. Eleonora Liga won seven games in a row at No. 1 singles against Shaline Pipa to earn a 6-4, 6-0 win. Then Miruna Tudor won 6-1, 6-0 to make the score 3-2. Liga has the PacWest's best singles record with 21-consecutive wins, and Tudor ranks second with 19 in a row of her own.
Abigail Wild led her match 6-4, 4-0 for the Sharks at No. 4 singles, but Miyahara beat her to the finish line to clinch the victory. Katherine Nguyen, who only had two losses on the season entering today's match fought back in the second set against Miyahara at No. 6 singles, but the Sharks' veteran came through in the end.
Hawai`i Pacific earns the PacWest's automatic bid into the NCAA West Regional with today's win. Azusa Pacific is expected to receive the No. 2 seed on the selection show. The top-2 teams in the region will earn the right to host the first round of the postseason, and the top-4 teams qualify. The winners will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships, which will be held in Florida this year.
TOURNAMENT MVP: Marleen Tilgner, Hawaii Pacific
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Arianna Audelo, Point Loma
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Hawaii Pacific 4 vs. #2 Azusa Pacific 2
THIRD PLACE
#4 Point Loma 4, #3 Concordia 1
FIFTH PLACE
#12 Stanislaus State 4, #10 Hawaii Hilo 1
SEVENTH PLACE
#6 Academy of Art 4, #9 MSU Denver 2
POINT LOMA 4, CONCORDIA 1
The Sea Lions were off the court first today, taking down the Golden Eagles, 4-1. Point Loma won on doubles courts two and three by 6-2 scores, while CUI was about to win on court one (5-2 when the match was stopped. Heather Richards picked up CUI’s lone victory on court one, topping Arinna Audelo, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), but Point Loma picked up wins on courts two (Joelle Lanz), court five (Amanda Letzring) and six (Rachel Whittington). It was a revenge victory for the Sea Lions, who had lost to Concordia twice this year—both times by 4-3 scores.
STANISLAUS STATE 4, HAWAII HILO 1
The Warriors continued their magical run in the tournament with a victory over the Vulcans. The last team to qualify for the tournament as the No. 12 seed, the Warriors opened with a win over #5 Fresno Pacific, lost to Point Loma, but then battled back in the consolation bracket with wins over MSU Denver and today, Hawaii Hilo for a 3-1 record in Surprise and fifth place. Today, they cruised to a pair of doubles wins on courts two and three, and then won singles matches at one (Amber Huk), four (Annabelle Mulick) and six (Emma Yu. Hawaii Hilo picked up a point with a victory on court four from Nanami Okamoto, 6-3, 6-1.
ACADEMY OF ART 4, MSU DENVER 2
Beat up Academy of Art managed somehow to end their season on a high note, topping MSU Denver. The Urban Knights defaulted on court six because of injuries and also lost the doubles point to start out in a 2-0 hole. But ART U fought back in singles, winning four matches in straight sets to claim the win for seventh place. Maria Casucci won on court one, Julia Ortega did the same on court two, Paulina Alvarez was victorious on court four and Aitana Comas was the winner on court five to complete the 4-2 victory.