AZUSA, Calif. – No. 12 Azusa Pacific started its season off in the right way, beating visiting Pomona-Pitzer by a 7-0 score. 

To open the afternoon, Leyton Bohren and Ryan Nuno won the No. 1 doubles match by a 6-3 score. The Sagehens won on court No. 2 by a 6-4 score, which turned all eyes to the No. 3 match, where Azusa Pacific's towering duo of Ethan Smith and Sam Sippel were taking on Nils Skattum and Hayden Snyder for the lone doubles point. Neither team was able to seize control of the match, which forced the two sides to go to a tie break following the 6-6 score. Smith and Sippel were able to win the battle, which put the Cougars up by a 1-0 score to start the match on a 7-5 tie break win. 

In the singles portion of the afternoon, it was Elias Emilio Walter who put Azusa Pacific up 2-0 after he made quick work of Charlie Stark at No. 3 in straight sets. Walter took the first set 6-1, and then followed that up with a 6-2 victory. The No. 4 matchup was the next to finish, with Bohren starting off his 2022 season with a straight-set win (6-2, 6-2) over Jansen Comadena. 

Ivan Noel Hornung delivered the match-clincher for the Cougars in his first regular season contest at Azusa Pacific. Playing at No. 6, Hornung took the first set by a 6-1 score, and then gave the Cougars the 4-0 match lead on a 6-2 second set victory. 

While the match had been decided, the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 matches were still undecided. On the No. 2 court, Sippel had rolled past opponent Mukund Madabushi by a 6-2 margin in set one. Madabushi would offer a better fight in the second frame, with the two going to a tie break at 6-6. Sippel would emerge as the victor for the second time on the day in a tie break, winning 7-4 to take the match for an overall score of 5-0 Azusa Pacific. 

At No. 5, Miha Velicki had to battle back in the first set for a 7-6 (7-5) win, and then maintained the momentum he gained in the tiebreaker for a 6-1 second set triumph that earned him the victory.

In the No. 1 matchup, Nuno had fallen 2-6 in the first set to Hayden Snyder, but Nuno came back in the second for a 7-5 win to force a super tie break. After a back-and-forth battle in the tie break, Nuno was able to grit it out for an 11-9 win.