MOBILE, Ala. -- This year was supposed to be different, and for 32 matches it was. But for the second year in a row, Azusa Pacific’s quest for a national championship fell one match short.

No. 2-seed Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.), practically playing in its backyard, cruised past the NAIA’s top-ranked Cougars, 5-0, to win the 2004 NAIA Men’s Tennis National Championship snapping the Cougars' 8-game winning streak and putting a somewhat sour note on the end of the most successful season in Azusa Pacific history.

Last year, Azusa Pacific was the tournament’s top seed as well but got upended in the finals against Oklahoma Christian. The Cougars, who have been the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked team the entire season, finish the season 31-2, setting a school-record for wins in a season.

Auburn-Montgomery wins its fifth NAIA championship, and coupled with its women’s win over the Cougars earlier in the day, becomes the first school in NAIA history to sweep the titles in the same year.

The Senators set the tone early by sweeping all 3 doubles matches, although 2 of them came down to the final points. After Aivaras Balzekas and Dmitri Babenko handed Boris Bakalov and Tom Jelsma an 8-4 defeat at No. 2, the Nos. 1 and 3 matches went down to the wire each finishing with identical 9-7 scores. David Budler and Gui Prata handed David Goodman and Gordon Hong their first defeat of the season at No. 3.

The sweep put the Cougars in a position where they needed to win 5 of 6 singles matches from the Senators. After Michael Gierke defeated Hong (6-4, 6-2), Babenko defeated Goodman (6-3, 7-5) at No. 3 to clinch the title for the Senators. The Cougars were leading 3 of the other 4 matches and the fourth was in the third set at the time the match was called.

For the second straight tournament, Azusa Pacific’s Sam Fletcher was named the Ward-Ballinger Outstanding Player. Five of the Cougars’ 6 players were named to the All-American teams. Fletcher, Adam Davidson and Bakalov were named to the first team. Bakalov and Davidson for the second year in a row, and Fletcher for the third. Goodman and Jelsma were named to the second team.

Azusa Pacific had won 20 matches this season against ranked teams and is 33-2 the past 2 seasons against NAIA teams. Its only 2 losses have come in each of the past 2 championship matches.

Singles
1 - Sam Fletcher (APU) vs. Anton Brykalin (AUM), 6-1; 6-6 DNF
2 - Aivaras Balzekas (AUM) vs. Boris Bakalov (APU), 6-2; 2-6; 3-0 DNF
3 - Dmitri Babenko (AUM) def. David Goodman (APU), 6-3; 7-5
4 - Adam Davidson (APU) vs. David Budler (AUM) 4-6; 6-1; 2-1 DNF
5 - Michael Gierke (AUM) def. Gordon Hong (APU), 6-4; 6-2
6 - Tom Jelsma (APU) vs. Gui Prata (APU), 7-5; 4-1 DNF

Doubles
1 - Gierke/Brykalin (AUM) def. Fletcher/Davidson (APU), 9-7
2 - Balzekas/Babenko (AUM) def. Bakalov/Jelsma (APU), 8-4
3 - Budler/Prata (AUM) def. Goodman/Hong (APU), 9-7