AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific hosted Washington University (St. Louis) on Wednesday, and the Cougars would walk away with a 5-2 win to improve their record to 8-4 on the season. 

In doubles, Sam Sippel and Ethan Smith teamed up in the No. 3 matchup for the Cougars, and they won in a dominant 6-1 fashion. On court No. 2, Miha Velicki and Elias Emilio Walter also handled their match with relative ease, tallying an identical 6-1 win to clinch the doubles point. The visiting Bears were able to capture a little confidence however, as they picked up a 7-6 (7-2) tiebreak win at No. 1.

With the Cougars missing four of their regular six singles players, head coach Mark Bohren was able to give several players key experience in a competitive match. In the No. 5 spot, Caden Samkutty played for the third time this season, and Samkutty took advantage of the opportunity by winning in straight sets (6-2, 6-0) to record the first singles point of the match for the Cougars. After the Bears won on court No. 4 to make it 2-1 overall, Cole Rassner was called upon in singles for the second time this season for the Cougars at No. 6, and he responded with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. 

While the Cougars were just one win shy of clinching the match, Washington would not go down without a fight. The Bears made it 3-2 with a straight-set win at No. 2, and the two remaining matches would end up being three-set affairs. Playing at No. 1 for the first time this season, Velicki dropped his first set by way of a tiebreak (2-7), but would respond in the second set with a 6-2 win. In the third set, Velicki would ultimately triumph for a 6-4 win, which secured the match-clinching fourth point for Azusa Pacific.

Despite the match already being secure, the No. 3 matchup was still being played and it turned out to be the best duel of the entire match. Ian Lee, who was playing for just the second time this season for the Cougars, found himself in an early hole by way of a 3-6 first set loss. In the second set, he found himself with his back against the wall, as he was just one game away from losing at a 2-5 score. Lee would dig in and refuse to lose, as he took the next four games to jump ahead 6-5. While his opponent was able to force a tiebreak at 6-6, Lee would take a commanding 7-2 victory to force a third set. Despite trailing early in the third set as well, Lee would once again roar back and ultimately win the third set 6-4.