FRESNO, Calif. - No. 18 Azusa Pacific went on the road for a Friday afternoon match at Fresno Pacific, and the Cougars picked up a 6-1 win to close out the regular season with a 15-6 record. With the win, the Cougars are now winners of their last seven matches.
The Cougars would secure the early momentum in the match, behind a pair of 6-2 wins in doubles to take a 1-0 lead. Audrey Stewart and April Wong were victorious in the No. 2 matchup to start the afternoon, while Carolyn Brooner and Katherine Nguyen followed up at No. 3 to seal the doubles point.
Eleonora Liga, the No. 4 singles player in the nation, won her No. 1 matchup with ease, taking the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-2. Liga is now 19-1 this season, with 18 of her wins occurring in straight-sets. Of the 42 sets that Liga has played this season, she has held her opponents to two or fewer games won in 24 of those sets, including eleven sets in which she has shut her opponents out 6-0.
The third point of the afternoon was won by Wong at No. 3, as she won in straight-sets (6-3, 6-1) for her fifth-consecutive singles victory.
On court No. 4, Brooner delivered the match-clinching performance for Azusa Pacific. Brooner won 6-4, 6-4 to give the Cougars the 4-0 match win, and she recorded her tenth straight-set win of the season.
Madison Kane and Nguyen added the fifth and sixth points of the day for the Cougars. At No. 2, Kane dropped the first set 1-6, but she responded in the second with a 7-5 win. In the third and final set, Kane put together a dominant performance, securing the win with a 6-0 triumph to win her sixth-consecutive match. Nguyen, who entered today's match on a nine-match win streak, pushed the number to double digits, winning 6-1, 7-5 on court No. 5.
Fresno Pacific's lone win was in a three-set battle on court No. 6.
Up Next: With the regular season complete, Azusa Pacific will return to the courts for the PacWest Championships, which will be held April 20-23 in Surprise, Arizona. The seeding for the tournament will be based on the weekly rankings from the PacWest that is voted on by administrators in the conference. In the latest rankings, which were released this past Tuesday (April 5), the Cougars were at No. 3. The final rankings will be released on April 10.
