AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific further proved its status as the top team in the West region this season, as the Cougars beat Point Loma by a 4-0 score in the Regional round to claim their spot among the final 16 teams in the NCAA Division II Tennis Championships. Azusa Pacific is now 23-0 on the season, and it will await seeding for the round of 16 which will take place next week in Florida.

While the Sea Lions took the No. 1 doubles match, Brody Bohren and Cole Rassner drew the Cougars level with a 6-4 win at No. 2, setting up the No. 3 match as the decider for the always crucial doubles point. Point Loma had Andrew Suver and Lukas Schuster, while Azusa Pacific looked to its pair of sensational rookies in Soeren Grandke and Constantin Barth. Both teams held serve throughout the set, and through 12 games, the score was tied 6-6 to force a tiebreak. While Point Loma served the first point, it was Barth and Grandke that struck first in the tiebreak for a 1-0 lead. The duo then held serve to take a 3-0 lead, and while the Suver and Schuster were able to get back within a point at 3-2, Barth and Grandke won four consecutive points to grab the momentum and the ultimate 7-3 win to clinch the doubles point and send the Cougars into singles with the 1-0 advantage.

The Cougars capitalized on the momentum, as all six in the singles lineup for Azusa Pacific won their first set. Barth was the first victor in the singles portion of the match, as he shut down Nabeel Khan at No. 5 in under an hour, claiming a 6-2, 6-1 victory to remain undefeated at 18-0 this season.

Brody Bohren made it 3-0 Cougars, as he took the first set from Lukas Schuster with relative ease at 6-2. In the second set, Bohren found himself in a 2-4 hole, but he was able to break Schuster to make it 3-4, and then held serve to knot it at 4-4. With the score 5-5, Bohren once again delivered a pivotal break for the Cougars, as he took a 6-5 lead and then closed it out on serve for a 7-5 set triumph.

Grandke would clinch the Cougars' spot at Nationals at No. 3, as he won 6-2, 6-4 to capture his 20th singles victory of his freshman season, and make it 4-0 Azusa Pacific. 

Azusa Pacific will be making its third-consecutive appearance at Nationals, which are scheduled to start on Monday, April 20 in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Seedings for the round of 16 will be announced tomorrow. Stay tuned to APUCougars.com for more information regarding the Cougars' matchup.