SURPRISE, Ariz. – The No. 11 Hawai'i Pacific University women opened play in the 2021 NCAA Division II West Regional with a 4-0 triumph over No. 18 Concordia Irvine on Friday morning at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex.
The Sharks (8-3) had a battle in doubles with the Eagles (14-5), but grabbed the point then breezed through singles play.
HPU top two doubles pairs came through to take the point, but all three sets were decided by a 7-5 count. Concordia won at No. 3 with Kimia Rahmani and Alyssa Zayat beating HPU's
Marta Ruszczynska and
Nicole Ballach before the Sharks
Elodie Busson and
Valentina Mokrova won at No. 2 over Heather Richards and Taylor Lau. HPU closed out the doubles with the No. 1 duo of
Marleen Tilgner and
Mihoki Miyahara defeating Ghazal Pakbaten and Tiffany Carrillo.
The singles were paced by the play of 20th ranked Busson at No. 2, who ripped Richards 6-0, 6-0. Then then bottom of the order followed suit, with Ruszczynska taking No. 5 against Zayat 6-0, 6-3 and Ballach claimed No. 6 over Rahmani 6-2, 6-0 for the clinch.
The Sharks were up at No. 3 with Miyahara beating Carrillo 6-2, 5-0 when pulled, and 16th ranked Tilgner up at No. 1 over 36th ranked Pakbaten 6-3, 3-0. HPU was down at No. 4 where Mokrova lost the first set to Lau 5-7 when the match ended.
The No. 11 Sharks get a rematch of the PacWest Conference Championship match in the West Region final, as they meet No. 6 Azusa Pacific (16-2). The Cougars beat Biola 4-2 in the other semifinal. The region final for a berth to the NCAA Division II National Championships is set for Saturday morning at 6 a.m. HST (9 a.m. MST) at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex.
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