SURPRISE, Ariz. – Defending NCAA National Champion and sixth ranked Hawai'i Pacific University cruised to a 5-0 win over No. 40 Hawai'i-Hilo in the semifinals of the PacWest Conference Championships at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex.
 
The Sharks (15-4) won their ninth straight match as they downed the Vulcans (12-11) for the third time this season.
 
While the top of the lineup was in line to score, it was the bottom of the lineup that collected the win.
 
After taking a commanding 3-0 lead after doubles, the match was ended when the Sharks Juan Erro defeated Dillon Lam 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 singles and Gerard Andres Rodriguez clinching over Stefan Coney 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4.
 
The other four singles matches were stopped with HPU up a set in each.
 
The Sharks grabbed the lead on the doubles sweep, led by No. 9 Filip Dolezel/Jakub Hadrava beating Coney/Vaclav Slezak 8-3 at No. 1. Torben Otto/Jack Lyttle beat Bruno Figlia/Alex Fillat Perez 8-3 at No. 2 in a battle of regionally ranked squads, and Erro/Filip Soban downed Daniel Tada/Gregory Zukeran 8-6 at No. 3.
 
HPU returns to the championship match and for the third consecutive season will meet Azusa Pacific for the PacWest crown. The No. 11 Cougars are 19-4 that includes a 5-4 loss to the Sharks on March 2 in Azusa.