SURPRISE, Ariz. - No. 2-seed Azusa Pacific handled No. 7-seed MSU Denver by a 4-0 score in the quarterfinals of the PacWest Tournament on Thursday. Since the Cougars were first eligible for the PacWest Tournament in 2013, Azusa Pacific has gone a perfect 9-0 in the quarterfinal round, with shutouts on eight occasions.

The morning match began with a 6-1 victory by Ethan Smith and Sam Sippel at No. 3 to give the Cougars the early edge. On court No. 2, Azusa Pacific's All-PacWest Doubles Third Team duo Elias Emilio Walter and Miha Velicki clinched the point, winning 6-4. 

Ryan Nuno, who was announced as an All-PacWest First Team honoree last night, opened up singles for the Cougars with a straight set win (6-1, 6-1) at No. 1. Nuno's win made him the 19th player in conference history to have won four career singles matches at the PacWest Championships. 

In the No. 3 matchup, Leyton Bohren cruised to a 6-1 first set win to grab the early momentum in his match. In the second set, Bohren worked his way into a 5-3 advantage when his opponent Alejandro Jimenez Gomez retired.

Sam Sippel sealed the Cougars' quarterfinal victory at No. 2, defeating Carlos Pinedo 6-2 in the first set, followed by a 6-1 score in the second set. Sippel, who was voted as an All-PacWest Second Team performer this season, is now 2-0 on his career in his quarterfinals matchups at the PacWest Championships. 

Up Next: The Cougars will now meet Point Loma in tomorrow's semifinal match at 9:00 am out in Arizona. Azusa Pacific and Point Loma met on two occasions in the regular season, with the Cougars winning both matches by a score of 7-0. Point Loma enters tomorrow's match coming off of a 4-0 quarterfinal win over Biola.