SURPRISE, Ariz.-- Hawai`i Pacific won the Pacific West Conference tournament championship for the third year in a row, beating Azusa Pacific in the final 5-1 on Saturday at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex.

Match Results

After falling to the Sharks 5-0 in each of the last two PacWest championship matches, the Cougars got on the board on the third try, but it wasn't enough to upset the No. 1 team in the nation.

Shepherd Newcomb and Christian Schmid gave Azusa Pacific its first point with an 8-6 victory at No. 3. The Cougar pair trailed 3-1 early in the set, but the Cougars broke at 6-6 and then Newcomb held serve to put the No. 2 seed on the board.

The Sharks raced to a 4-0 lead at No. 1 doubles where Thibaud Berland and Alexander Meyer held onto their two-break lead to defeat Olger van Gent and Jan Meyer by the same score as their last meeting, 8-4.

At No. 2 doubles, Alan Leahy and Pascal Engel came back from down a break and tied the match at 5-5, but another break for Hawai`i Pacific made the difference for an 8-5 triumph for the Sharks.

Hawai`i Pacific won the first three singles matches of the day before the Cougars had a chance to finish any other matches. Alexander Meyer won the clinching match, defeating Schmid 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.

In a rematch of the top two players in the nation, No. 1 Berland won the first set 6-1 before No. 2 Meyer won the second set 6-3. However, for the third year in a row, Jan Meyer's match with a Hawai`i Pacific was stopped short of completion. Berland led on serve 2-1 in the deciding set.

Leahy also won his first set 6-4, playing Jaume Martinez-Vich for the third time in his career. That match was also left unfinished.

The Cougars will now wait to find out their playoff destiny, hoping to earn one of the three playoff berths from the West Region. The No. 1 team will advance directly into the national tournament, while the No. 2 and 3 seeds will face off for the last spot in the 16-team national championship.