LA MIRADA, Calif. -- At the 1979 ATP Masters Finals, American Vitas Gerulaitis defeated his compatriot Jimmy Connors for the first time in his last 17 tries, leading him to deliver his now iconic line. "Let that be a lesson to you. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row."

Well, it took Biola 14 tries since joining the PacWest to defeat Azusa Pacific, but the Cougars' incredible winning streak over their institutional rival, which dates back to decades before either school was in the PacWest is finally over. The Eagles won 5-2 on Saturday on their home courts to earn a series split with the Cougars.

The PacWest's top-4 teams of Azusa Pacific, Concordia, Hawai`i Pacific and Point Loma had separated themselves as the front runners to earn the top-4 seeds at the PacWest Championships and the four berths into the NCAA West Regional, but Biola's win on Saturday is the first time a team outside that group of four had beaten one of the top teams, putting Biola squarely in the mix.

While the rivalry between the two teams has picked up steam over the last three years after decades of lopsided results in favor of Azusa Pacific, with Biola's win on Saturday the Cornerstone Cup rivalry in men's tennis has been taken to a new level. And, there may still be a rubber match at this season at the PacWest Championships or even the NCAA West Regional.

Marko Nikoliuk remained at the No. 2 singles spot after having played at No. 1 earlier this month and he dominated in a 6-1, 6-2 win for his team-best 12th win of the season. Then Elias Emilio Walter gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead with his 6-2, 7-6 win, sliding down to No. 4 singles for the first time this season.

All four remaining matches were close, but all four went to the Eagles, including a pair of three-setters. Biola's Adrian Solorzano and Lehi Velicki had two very close sets at No. 3 singles, but Solorzano came through both times for a 7-6(6), 7-5 win to even the overall score.

It was a similar story at No. 1 singles where two-time All-PacWest selection Alexei Prokopchuk narrowly escaped a tough second set against Leyton Bohren to earn a 6-1, 7-6(6) victory. That put the Eagles one point away from their first win over the Cougars as PacWest opponents and the two remaining matches on adjacent courts both went the distance.

The clinching victory came from Isaac Cordova, who came from behind against Brody Bohren for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles. Callen Hein then put the finishing touches on the win with his own three-set triumph for Biola, beating Vili Bonev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Earlier in doubles, Velicki and Walter led at No. 3 doubles 5-2, but the match was halted when Biola won both of the top-2 doubles sets 6-2.

Now 12-4 on the season, Azusa Pacific has two upcoming matches that now have increased importance as the battle for a spot in the NCAA West Regional heats up. The Cougars will play at Concordia on Friday and then go down to Point Loma on Saturday. The Cougars will know where they stand in the PacWest standings ahead of those matches when the PacWest releases the first men's tennis rankings on Wednesday. Those rankings are used to determine the seeding for the conference tournament, where Azusa Pacific is the defending champion.