SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The 2021 season came to an end for Cougar men's tennis on Friday afternoon, with Azusa Pacific falling 4-2 in the regional semifinal to Hawai'i Pacific. 

The Cougars found themselves in an early hole to start the match, as Hawai'i Pacific was able to take two of three in doubles. The Sharks started with a 6-2 win at No. 2, but the Cougars' No. 1 duo of Jakob Schnaitter and Leyton Bohren, who are ranked No. 4 in the nation, claimed a 6-1 victory to even things out. The doubles point came down to the action on court No. 3, where Hawai'i Pacific's Ryohei Arai and Killian Maitre were able to hold off Ethan Smith and Dylan Parsley for a 6-4 win that gave the Sharks a 1-0 match lead.

While the Cougars entered singles trailing, Schnaitter's win at No. 1 and Sam Sippel's victory at No. 2 allowed Azusa Pacific to seize a 2-1 match lead. Both Schnaitter and Sippel won in straight sets, with Schnaitter going 6-2, 6-1, and Sippel finishing 6-2, 6-4. 

The Cougars' wins at No. 1 and No. 2 would be their only of the day, as the Sharks took the lead back at 3-2 with victories at No. 5, and No. 6, and then Maitre delivered his second clinch on the day for the Sharks, earning a three-set win over Ryan Nuno at No. 3 to send Hawai'i Pacific to the regional final tomorrow.

The loss concludes the season for the Cougars, as Azusa Pacific finished the year with a 17-5 overall record. The Cougars' trip to the 2021 West Regional was the sixth in program history. 

Today's match also marked the final time that Jakob Schnaitter will play for Azusa Pacific, as the outstanding senior will transfer to Division I Wake Forest, where he will pursue a graduate degree and wrap up his collegiate career. While at Azusa Pacific, Schnaitter was a two-time PacWest Player of the Year, two-time All-PacWest First Team selection in both singles and doubles, ITA West Region Player to Watch, and CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large Nominee. He wraps up his Cougar career with the second best winning percentage at No. 1 singles (.957), third in singles wins at No. 1 (44) and winning percentage in singles & doubles (.833), and fourth in singles winning percentage (.928).

In addition to the departure of Schnaitter, the Cougars will also lose Jesse Haas, who missed this season with an injury. In his career, Haas was an ITA doubles All-American, CoSIDA Academic All-American, and an All-PacWest Doubles First Team selection in 2019, as he and Schnaitter were teammates that year. 

While Schnaitter and Haas will be missed, head coach Mark Bohren has a solid group of returners for 2022. Among the returners is Sippel (2021 PacWest Freshman of the Year & All-PacWest First Team), Nuno (All-PacWest Second Team), and Leyton Bohren (All-PacWest Third Team), who will look to lead the way in elevating Azusa Pacific men's tennis to even greater heights next season.