SURPRISE, Ariz. - No. 2-seed Azusa Pacific, the defending PacWest Champions, are headed back to the PacWest Championship match after beating Academy of Art by a 4-1 score in the semifinals of the PacWest Tournament on Friday afternoon. 

The Cougars took a 1-0 match lead by way of dominance in doubles, as April Wong and Audrey Stewart won at No. 2 by a 6-0 score, and the Cougars' No. 1 duo of Eleonora Liga and Madison Kane followed a few minutes later with a 6-0 victory as well.

Per usual, Liga made quick work of her opponent on court No. 1. Liga won the first set by a tally of 6-2, and she followed up in the second with a 6-1 win to put Azusa Pacific up 2-0 overall. For Liga, it is her 10th consecutive match that she has won in straight sets. 

The Cougars went up 3-0 on a straight set win by Wong at No. 3. Wong opened 6-1 in the first set, and then secured the win with a 6-2 second set victory. In the second set, the score was 2-2 when Wong broke her opponent and went on to win the next four straight games. Wong is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak. 

Academy of Art picked up a point with a straight-set win at No. 2 to make it 3-1 overall.

It was the veteran Audrey Stewart who battled to a three-set win to clinch the Cougars' spot in the title match tomorrow. After Stewart fell 4-6 in the first set, she responded by flipping the script in the second for a 6-4 win to force a third frame. In the third, Stewart took full control and rolled to a 5-0 lead. In the sixth game, Stewart took four consecutive points to break her opponent.

Up Next: The Cougars opponent in the championship match tomorrow at 1:00 pm will be Hawai'i Pacific, which was the opponent last season when Azusa Pacific won its first PacWest title in program history. This year, the Cougars and Sharks met twice during the regular season, with Hawai'i Pacific winning on both occasions.