SURPRISE, Ariz. – No. 2 Hawai'i Pacific University moved on to the quarterfinals in the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships with a 5-2 triumph over No. 11 Midwestern State in the round of 16 on Tuesday evening at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Center.
 
The No. 2 Sharks (20-2) took everything the powerful No. 11 Mustangs (19-7) could throw at them as they collected their ninth straight match win.
 
The Sharks were paced by the powerful play of seniors Lena Lutzeier, Lara Meccico and Barbora Kijasova, who each won twice.
 
Lutzeier of Blaustein, Germany and senior Oceane Adam of Le Moule, Guadeloupe, the 10th ranked doubles pair in Division II, crushed MSU's fourth ranked duo of Maddy Coffman and Ashley Ramirez 8-2  at No. 1 for the quick lead.
 
The other doubles points came down to tiebreakers.
 
Meccico of Carolei, Italy, and Kijasova of Ostrava, Czech Republic, handed MSU's team of Bianca Duff and Greta Lazzarotto its first loss of the year with a 9-8 (10-8) win at No. 2 that gave HPU a 2-0 advantage. The Mustangs claimed the final doubles point at Sharks Debora Echevveria of Santiago, Chile, and Leticia Gonzalez dos Santos of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil lost in the tiebreak to Daria Panferova and Maddie Rowe 9-8 (7-2).
 
It was third ranked Meccico who scored first in singles with the win at No. 2, beating 62nd ranked Duff 6-1, 6-0.
 
But MSU responded with No. 64 Panferova upsetting No. 21 Adam 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3 to pull the Mustangs back at 3-2.
 
Then Kijasova put the Sharks back in gear by taking down Emilija Segetlija 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6, setting up the final point.
 
No. 1 ranked Lutzeier came through for the winning point, downing 19th ranked Coffman 6-0, 7-5 at No. 1 to end the match and send the Sharks to the quarterfinals.
 
Two flights were left unfinished, as Echeverriea and Ramirez split sets 1-6, 6-2 with Echeverria up 1-0 in the third at No. 4. Gonzalez dos Santo finished trailing Lazzarotto 4-6, 2-5 when the match was called.
 
HPU moves on to face No. 23 Missouri-St. Louis on Wednesday at 1 p.m. HST (4 p.m. MST). UMSL defeated No. 45 Queens (N.Y.) 5-0 in its round of 16 match.