SURPRISE, Ariz.-- The No. 18 Azusa Pacific men's tennis team traveled back to familiar territory in Surprise, Ariz. to take on Point Loma in the opening round of the PacWest Tournament. After finishing out their regular season with a 4-0 sweep over the Sea Lions last week, the Cougars claimed a 4-1 win Thursday morning.

The victory lifts the Cougars to a Friday morning match against Hawai'i Hilo, where they recently beat the Vulcan's in a nail biting 4-3 victory. Azusa Pacific is the only team in the PacWest to beat Hawai'i Hilo this season.

Starting off in doubles, Leyton Bohren and Ryan Nuno downed Scott Wheeler and Tim Soderman in a 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot to start the morning off strong. However, the Sea Lions retaliated at the top spot and claimed a 6-4 victory over APU's Jackob Schnaitter and Jesse Haas. With all eyes at the court three, Ethan Smith and Ronald Kang fell short against Point Loma's Mark Penner and Mark Vast with a 6-7 (5) loss.

As singles play unfurled, APU caught their first burst of momentum and never looked back as they cruised their way to four straight wins. Claiming the first singles win was senior Ronald Kang at court three, winning both sets 6-1. At the No. 5 position, Jesse Haas breezed by with a 6-0, 6-1 victory before teammate Leyton Bohren won at the No. 4 spot 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead over Point Loma. For the third straight match, senior Marnix Pluim clinched the 4-3 victory for the Cougars after downing his opponent with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win at the No. 6 position.

The Cougars will now face Hawai'i Hilo for the second time this season on Friday April, 19 for a 9:00 a.m. matchup in the semifinal round of the PacWest Tournament.