ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Azusa Pacific is advancing to the national quarterfinals at the 2022 NCAA Division II Tennis Championships, as the Cougars defeated Le Moyne by a 4-1 score on Wednesday morning. 

To open the match, each team earned a doubles victory. At No. 3, it was the Cougars' duo of Ethan Smith and Sam Sippel that beat James and Jared Howard by a 6-2 score. The Dolphins would even the match with a 6-3 win at No. 2, which meant the doubles point was decided in the No. 1 matchup. Ryan Nuno and Leyton Bohren battled Le Moyne's Ethan Miller and Tom Jarry, and the two sides fought to a 6-6 tie to force a tiebreak. Nuno and Bohren took control in the tiebreak, rolling to a 7-1 victory to put Azusa Pacific up 1-0 overall.

Fresh off of the doubles victory, Nuno would put the Cougars up 2-0 with a straight-set singles win at No. 1. Nuno took the first set from Jarry by a 6-2 tally, and he closed it out in the second with a 6-3 win. 

In the No. 2 match, Sippel beat Manuel Righi 7-5 in a hard fought first set, and then sealed the straight-set victory with a 6-3 second set triumph.

Le Moyne picked up its lone point at No. 6, where Miller won in straight sets for the Dolphins.

Bohren served as the match-clincher for the Cougars at No. 3. After winning the first set 6-4, Bohren was beaten 1-6 in the second set by Jared Howard to force a third and deciding set. Bohren grabbed all momentum in the third set, and won the final frame 6-1 to seal the Cougars' trip to the quarterfinals.

"At 8:00 am it was over 90 percent humidity," said head coach Mark Bohren, "I am proud of the way we fought to beat a really good team. Also, hats off to our athletic trainer Garrett Brooks who kept every player from going down with cramps. He was critical in us winning today."

Up Next: The Cougars will take on top-seed Columbus State in the quarterfinals tomorrow at noon ET (9:00 am PT). Azusa Pacific and Columbus State will meet for the third time at Nationals, as the two teams played in 2017 & 2018. This year's Columbus State squad is 21-2 overall, and it opened its week with a 4-0 win over No. 16 Lander.