SURPRISE, AZ (May 15, 2015) – The Hawai'i Pacific Men's Tennis Team (24-0) advanced to the national final for the second consecutive year with a 5-3 win over #4 Armstrong State (24-5).
The Sharks found themselves in an unfamiliar position, behind. The Pirates came out and won close battles at second and third doubles. The ITA's top doubles team of
Thibaud Berland and
Yann Renault got HPU on the board with an 8-3 win at first doubles.
Armstrong then took a 3-1 advantage with a quick win at fifth singles. With their national championship dreams slipping away, the Sharks awoke.
Marko Lenz, ITA Rookie of the Year, dropped the #7 ranked singles player with relative ease (6-3, 6-2).
Clemens Graute had similar success at sixth singles, winning 6-3, 6-4 to tie the match at three. HPU took the lead when ninth-ranked Berland cruised (6-1) in the first set and then took the tiebreaker (8-6) in the second set to win over the #48 player.
Jaume Martinez-Vich won the opening set at third singles 6-4, and like Berland, the second set went to the tiebreaker. With the score knotted at four, Armstrong's Luca Cerin was overruled for the third time in the match by the referee which resulted in a point penalty and a win for Martinez-Vich and HPU.
Maik Burlage was in the third set when the match was stopped.
The #1 Sharks play #2 Barry University tomorrow for the NCAA Division II National Championship at noon in Surprise, AZ.
