SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Azusa Pacific men's tennis team battled back from a 3-1 deficit to earn redemption, defeating Point Loma 4-3 in the semi finals of the PacWest Championships. Leyton Bohren secured the match point for the Cougars as he defeated his Sea Lion competitor in a tie break 9-7. 

How it Happened: To begin the match, Azusa Pacific dropped the doubles point. Cole Rassner and Dylan Parsley dropped thier set on No. 3 before Marko Nikoliuk and Leyton Bohren claimed their set by way of a 6-3 victory to even the points at 1-1. Point Loma was ultimately able to come through as they claimed the set victory on No. 2 and won the doubles point. 

The fight for the Cougars came alive in singles. Elias Emilio Walter came through with a 6-3, 6-1 victory to even the match score at 1-1. The Sea Lions took the lead once again when Brody Bohren fell on No. 6 by way of a 6-4, 6-3 score. Nikoliuk then fell on No. 1, 6-2, 6-2, resulting in a 3-1 advantage for Point Loma. 

With the Cougars backs against the wall in the semi final match, Rassner came through on No. 5 singles. He dropped the first set 1-6, but battled back winning the next set 6-3 and winning the final set 6-1 to keep Azusa Pacific in the hunt for a Championship appearance. 

Miha Velicki followed Rassner with a thrilling match on No. 4, taking the first set 6-4, then with a 6-6 score, forced a tie breaker. Velicki controlled the tie breaker as he led the entire way and won by a score of 7-3, claiming set two, 7-6.

It was up to Leyton Bohren on No. 2, who ended up clinching the match for Azusa Pacific. The set win didn't come without drama, as Bohren controlled the first set 6-2, and the Sea Lions battled as they took the next set 6-2 before the next set was tied 6-6. The tiebreaker came and Bohren found himself down 2-3 before taking a 5-3 lead. Point Loma battled back to a 6-5 lead, but Bohren showed grit and won the tiebreaker, 9-7, taking the third set which clinched the match for Azusa Pacific, earning a redemption victory on center stage at the PacWest Championships.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will return to the courts tomorrow, Saturday April 22nd for the PacWest Championship match. It will be a 2022 tournament rematch as the Cougars will face the Sharks of Hawai'i Pacific at 1:00 p.m.