Cougars Claim Men's Tennis Title

Azusa Pacific wins out over rival Biola, 4-0. The Cougars notched their fourth title in the last five years, in their final season at the Division II level.

SURPRiSE, ARIZ.—Azusa Pacific won a thrilling doubles encounter and parlayed that momentum into singles play to take a 4-0 Pacific West Conference Championship victory over Biola. Point Loma kept their NCAA postseason hopes alive with a Third Place match win over Hawaii Pacific, 4-2.

#1 Azusa Pacific 4, #2 Biola 0
It was just one point on the scoreboard, but it felt like more in the big picture during Azusa Pacific’s 4-0 victory over Biola in the PacWest title match at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Center.

That gives the Cougars their fourth PacWest championship in the last five years, and they did so in their final opportunity. Azusa Pacific is moving to Division III as an athletic department next year.

The drama during the doubles matches between the two rivals was on high. The two teams split the first two matches, leaving all team members and fans to move over to court one for a battle between APU’s Soeren Grandke and Mathys Pinoit against Biola’s Angel Guerrero and Alejandro Monteverde.

The two teams were locked at 6-6, heading into a tiebreaker. Biola burst out to a 6-1 lead, just one point from the set and team point. But the Cougars roared back and took the next seven points to win the tiebreaker, 8-6.

That seemingly changed the momentum heading into singles play. The Cougars won three matches in straight sets, with Pinoit winning on court two (6-0, 6-2), David James Brownlee on court three (6-4, 6-1) and Grandke on court one (6-3, 6-1).

Azusa Pacific improved to 20-4 with the NCAA tournament next on the horizon. Biola, who will also play in the NCAA postseason, is now 16-4.

#2 Point Loma 4, #3 Hawaii Pacific 2
Hawaii Pacific won the doubles point but the Sea Lions rolled in singles play to take a 4-2 victory in the Third Place match at the PacWest Championships.

The victory was pivotal for Point Loma toward their NCAA postseason aspirations. They needed the victory to qualify to be one of the four teams from the west region.

Down a point in the team score, the Sea Lions rallied back with wins on the top two courts, with Stanislas Noel (6-3, 6-2) and David Fisinger (6-4, 6-2). Paul Sobich followed with a win on court five (6-3, 6-0).

Point Loma moves to 9-11 on the season while the Sharks are now 13-6.

The Sportsmanship Award winner, voted on by the tournament coaches, is Adam Vasir of Hawaii Pacific. Azusa Pacific’s Grandke was selected as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.