AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific is going back to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Orlando, Florida, after Cole Rassner clinched a marathon 4-2 win over Concordia with his 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles on Saturday at the Cougar Tennis Complex in the 2023 NCAA Men's Tennis West Regional.
 
The Cougars are going to the national championships for the fourth time and the second year in a row. Concordia's season ends with a 10-8 record after reaching the NCAA West Regional for the second time in three years.
 
Azusa Pacific led 3-2 in the match with Rassner and Brody Bohren both still on court in singles. The Cougars needed just one of the two to win in order to take the match, but both had a long way to go. Bohren won his first set, but was trailing in the second set. Meanwhile Rassner had his back against the wall after dropping the first set, 1-6.
 
Rassner held his serve to take a 6-5 lead in the second set against James Caddies, who took a 40-0 lead in the next game as he tried to force a tiebreaker. However, Rassner rattled off four points in a row to break and take the second set.
 
At No. 6 singles, Adam Large took the second set against Bohren sending that match into a deciding set as well. Caddies and then Large shortly after both broke serve in the opening game of each third set to line things up nicely for a comeback.
 
Rassner and Bohren both then broke back in the next game as both matches paralleled each other. Rassner added a second break and consolidated for a 4-1 lead. Meanwhile, Bohren also broke serve and led 4-2, against Large who started throwing in underhand serves.
 
Rassner led 5-2 and served for the match at 5-3, but was broken at love as Caddies got the match back on serve. Rassner didn't let the lead slip away though and broke straight back to clinch the match and punch the Cougars' ticket to Orlando.

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The Cougars now have an 8-7 record in NCAA postseason matches after having qualified for the eighth season in a row. In the regional round, Azusa Pacific is now 4-4 with Saturday's win.
 
The Golden Eagles got an early lead by winning the doubles match. Bohren and Dylan Parsley won 6-3 at No. 3 doubles, but Concordia came back to clinch the first point of the match with a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles.
 
Azusa Pacific bounced back quickly in singles with Elias Emilio Walter winning a 6-0, 6-0 blowout at No. 3 singles. Leyton Bohren then won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 singles to give the Cougars their first lead. It is Bohren's fifth win in a row.
 
At No. 1 singles, Marko Nikoliuk earned an important 6-4, 6-4 win over Leon Czarnikau to make the overall score 3-1. Alex Edmonston gave the Golden Eagles their second point with his 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles, but that was the last point that Concordia won.

Rassner then clinched the match at No. 5 singles, meaning the Cougars are back in the NCAA Division II National Championships, which will be held on May 11-16 at the collegiate center of the USTA National Campus. Azusa Pacific will discover next week who the first round opponent will be.