SAN DIEGO – Stina Larsson won an 80-minute set and then reeled off six games in a row to earn her third-consecutive straight-set victory and clinch a 5-2 win for Azusa Pacific at Point Loma on Saturday morning in a contest that featured two of the top-3 teams in the PacWest preseason coaches poll.
 
Azusa Pacific led 3-2 with two matches left on the court when Tina Moser won her No. 6 singles match 6-3, 7-5. Katherine Nguyen led 6-2, 4-4 at the time, while Larsson was down 4-0 in her second set.
 
"The first set was an hour and 20 minutes, and it was very tight all set," Larsson said. "The rallies were long today. The courts here are a bit slower, but also the level of my opponent made the rallies difficult. Coach [Eric Barnard] told me to just focus on moving my feet and that helped me play my best.
 
"I was nervous because everything was new, but I kept trusting my game and that's what paid off in the end. Having my teammates next to me on the court was a new experience but it was really helpful. I felt like I wasn't alone and we were in this match together."
 
Larsson rapidly changed the momentum in her favor, getting both breaks back to tie the set 4-4 against Quin Brady at No. 3 singles. The freshman began to win the longer exchanges and held for a 5-4 lead before breaking to win the match, 7-6(5), 6-4 and clinch the victory for Azusa Pacific. She ended up winning her final six games in a row.
 
"Three of the four games I lost to start the set were no-ad games," Larsson recalled, "so I knew I could get back into the set.
 
The Cougars are now 3-0 to start the season, including two wins this week against PacWest opponents. Nguyen went on to win her match in a third-set superbreaker, 6-2, 5-7, 11-9, securing match point with a stunning inside-out backhand drop shot winner. This is the Cougars' first 3-0 start to a season since 2021.
 
"Today, we weren't as focused on winning so much as about getting better," Larsson said. "That's what coach [Mark Bohren] has been telling us and it paid off in the end."
 
Azusa Pacific had to come from behind to win the doubles point. Point Loma's No. 1 doubles team of Arianna Audelo and Brady won 6-3 to take the early lead. Then the Cougars' duo of Larsson and Karola Suviste won 6-4. They broke for the set with Larsson whipping a backhand down the line for a winner, setting up match point. Then Suviste did the same thing on the forehand wing to win the set.
 
At No. 3 doubles, the Sea Lions still led 5-3 against Moser and Nguyen. However, the Cougars came back to win four games in a row and won the set 7-5 to take the doubles point. It is the first win as a team for Moser and Nguyen.
 
Vini Bautista continued her hot start to the season, defeating Alina Kupfer 6-4, 6-4 to make the overall score 2-0. Both sets mirrored each other with Bautista going up a break early before Kupfer broke back to take a lead. Kupfer led 4-2 in the first set before Bautista won four games in a row to win the opener. The same happened in the second set with Kupfer leading 4-3 before Bautista broke her serve twice to win the match.
 
The Cougars won the first set in five of the six singles matches. Julia Jordan rushed out to a 5-0 lead before winning the first set against Audelo. Point Loma got on the board with a win by Emely Valencia whose one-handed backhand was working well for her on the day, leading to a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.
 
Moser then made the overall score 3-1 with her 6-3, 7-5 win against Anna Pallencaoe at No. 6 singles. Pallencaoe has had success against the Cougars in the past, beating Jordan at the ITA Fall West Regionals, but Moser avenged her teammate with her straight-set win. The Cougars' trio of freshmen are now 8-1 in singles to start the season.
 
"We are three new girls and we are half of the lineup and we don't have much experience but the girls that have been here before have been helping us," Larsson said. "They are making us feel comfortable on the court, knowing they are here helping everyone. It's a great start. Hope we can keep going."
 
Audelo put the pressure back on the Cougars with her impressive win from down a set, winning against Jordan 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 despite Jordan's strong form in the opening set. That made it a race between Larsson and Nguyen to clinch the match. Both players held on for the victory to make the final score 5-2.
 
"These are the matches that we want to play so we were very excited," Larsson added. "I knew it was going to be a tough match, so it is really satisfying to play the way we did today."
 
The Cougars return to action on Monday morning as they hit the road again to face Westmont at 9:30 a.m.