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Elodie Busson wins at No. 2 against Columbus State
Jared Pine
3
Hawai'i Pacific HPU (9-4)
4
Winner Columbus State CSU (18-5)
Hawai'i Pacific HPU
(9-4)
3
Final
4
Columbus State CSU
(18-5)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis |

No. 14 Sharks Fall In National Quarterfinals to No. 10 Columbus State 4-3

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The No. 14 Hawai'i Pacific University women's season came to a crashing end on Wednesday with a 4-3 loss to No. 10 Columbus State (Ga.) in the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex.
 
The fifth-seeded Sharks (9-4) claimed the doubles point against the fourth-seeded Cougars (18-5) only to have CSU rally in the singles to advance to the National Semifinals.
 
The match was knotted at 3-3 coming down to the final position left on the court, No. 3 singles. HPU's Mihoki Miyahara and Columbus State's Luise Sachs split their first two sets, with Miyahara winning in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-5) and Sachs taking the second set 6-2. In the deciding set, Miyahara held a 4-2 lead before a nagging injury flared up. Despite fighting desperately, she dropped the next four games fall to Sachs 6-4 to give the Cougars the win.
 
The tight match went towards HPU early. CSU won at No. 2 as Valentina Abrile and Sara Concalves beat HPU's Elodie Busson and Valentina Mokrova 6-4, but the Sharks won the other two positions as Nicole Ballach and Marta Ruszczynska won at No. 3 against Agostina Bigotti and Yelena Labat 7-5, and 22nd ranked Marleen Tilgner and Miyahara outlasted CSU's Beatriz Lopez and Sachs in an extended tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6).
 
But the Cougars rallied, winning at No. 1 with ninth ranked Lopez ripped 11th ranked Tilgner 6-3, 6-0, and took the lead 3-1 as Bigotti won at No. 5 against Ruszczynska 6-2, 6-3.
 
HPU answered back, taking No. 2 with 17th ranked Busson downing 36th ranked Candice Paya 6-2, 5-7, 6-0, before Ballach won at No. 6 over Yelena Labat 6-3, 6-4 to tie the match at 3-3.
 
With all eyes on the No. 3 match, Miyahara and Sachs battled it out as the last women's match on the court in the quarterfinals. Sachs pulled it out to win the three hour and 30 minute match.
 
With the loss the season ended for the Sharks, who have advanced to the national quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament and for the eighth time in nine tournaments under Coach Lauren Conching.
 
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