AZUSA, Calif. – With the help of a dominant performance in doubles and some lopsided singles results, Azusa Pacific got off to a winning start for the 2023 season, beating NCAA Division II No. 9 Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at the Cougar Tennis Complex.
In three of the six singles matches, the winning player dropped four or less games, and two of those wins belonged to the Sagehens. However, those were the only two points that Pomona-Pitzer won on Saturday morning.
The two teams matched up oddly with each other, resulting in the Cougars racing out to a 3-0 lead before dropping two points. The result was hardly in doubt, however, as
Elias Emilio Walter came through in straight sets to clinch the 4-2 victory with his 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles.
The Cougars' doubles performance was perhaps the brightest part of the season-opening victory. Walter and
Miha Velicki went 15-3 as a doubles team last year and the duo at the No. 2 spot remained a winning formula for head coach
Mark Bohren, earning a 6-2 win.
Leyton Bohren and
Marko Nikoliuk then clinched the doubles point at No. 1 doubles with a 6-3 win in Nikoliuk's Cougar debut after transferring from Southern Arkansas.
Freshmen
Brody Bohren and
Vili Bonev also made their collegiate debut, playing together at No. 3 doubles. They earned a 6-2 win to start their collegiate careers on a winning note.
Velicki won the first singles match in dominant fashion, 6-2, 6-0.
Cole Rassner then won by retirement 4-6, 1-0 at No. 6 singles to put the Cougars within a point of victory. That allowed Walter to clinch the first win of the 2023 campaign.
Leyton Bohren played his first career match at No. 1 singles, and his younger brother
Brody Bohren played the only three-set match of the day. He was down a break in the deciding set when the match was halted at 6-1, 1-6, 2-4.
The Cougars will go from a Division III opponent to a Division I opponent on Friday as the Cougars face the University of Hawai`i to begin a three-match trip to the Hawaiian islands. On Saturday, Azusa Pacific will face Hawai`i Pacific under the lights in a rematch of the 2022 PacWest Championships final, which the Cougars won.
