AZUSA, Calif. – On match point down against the No. 15 singles player in the nation, Miha Velicki went to the serve-and-volley tactic, putting away the chip return with a backhand volley winner to save match point. Then the native of Maribor, Slovenia, won the next two points in the third-set tiebreaker to beat Vasek Schneider and clinch a 4-1 victory for No. 11 Azusa Pacific over No. 4 Washburn on Tuesday afternoon at the Cougar Tennis Complex in a battle that lasted over three hours.
 
Velicki held his serve at 5-6 in the third set to send the match into a decisive tiebreaker and earned the first mini-break to take a 4-2 lead. Schneider got the mini-break back and tied the match at 5-5. Velicki earned the first match point but Schneider won the next two points on his serve to earn a match point of his own at 7-6.
 
"It was great to have Ryan Nuno on court with me," Velicki said about having his former teammate return to help coach for the match. "He was really encouraging me and kept telling me 'you're going to get this.' He was motivating me and helping me to trust myself."
 
Velicki then saved match point with a backhand volley and earned a second match point after taking care of both points on his serve. The second match point went Velicki's way, winning on a passing shot to earn a match-clinching 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7) win over the No. 15 player in NCAA Division II.
 
"I was pretty nervous, but I knew that his tactic was to just block the return," Velicki said. "I was struggling because the wind was blowing against me. I had been using serve-and-volley all match, so I thought since I'm nervous, that was probably the best shot, and it worked."
 
Velicki's clinching win makes the Cougars 9-1 on the season, while the Ichabods drop to 7-2. The out-of-region win will help show the strength of the PacWest and could have a big impact on the rankings, which will be updated on Wednesday.
 
Speaking of rankings, the Cougars defeated the No. 1 doubles team in the nation in decisive fashion with Soeren Grandke and Elias Emilio Walter winning 6-1 against Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes. The Cougars went on to win the doubles point with Velicki partnering with Crespo to win No. 3 doubles 6-4. After breaking at 4-all, Velicki served out the deciding doubles set to secure the first point of the match.
 
"It's fun playing with Joan," Velicki said. "I'm a little sad I'm not playing with Elias because almost every official match I've played has been with him. I'm also playing on the deuce side now. It's a change and it brings us some more energy and helps us play loose. I'm enjoying it."
 
Grandke made the Cougars' lead 2-0 with his 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles. He defeated Hammes, who is the No. 5 player in the nation, and Grandke is now a perfect 10-0 on the season.
 
Since the men and women's tennis programs were playing at the same time, only four singles matches were on court for each. The remaining three singles matches all went to a third and deciding set. Crespo won his second-set tiebreaker to extend his match at No. 4 singles, but the Ichabods got their first point with Tommy Checchetti winning 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.
 
David James Brownlee was also locked in a tight battle after a tough second-set tiebreaker. He got off to a strong start in the third set and that proved decisive against No. 33 Pavlos Parson, and Brownlee held on to win 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.
 
"We are doing very well as a team," Velicki said. "I'm very surprised how the freshmen are handling everything. We have a bunch of characters on the team, and that makes it fun. It makes our energy on the team better because we are all a little different, but we come together when it matters. We support each other, and the way we handled Concordia, Point Loma and Fresno on the road shows what kind of a team we have."
 
Brownlee's eighth win in nine matches this season gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead. That put all the attention at No. 2 singles where Velicki was serving to stay in the match at the time. Velicki, who is unranked because he didn't play in the fall, came through for his biggest win so far this season, taking the match against his No. 15 opponent.
 
"I don't think about the rankings," Velicki said. "I hadn't played tennis for six months because I had a broken wrist over the summer. I just needed to get back in rhythm and get some matches under my belt. I know my game well enough to make good decisions under pressure, and that's what helped me so far."

The 4-1 victory on Tuesday afternoon against the No. 4 team in the nation is the Cougars' first win against Washburn in two tries. The Cougars will be back on the courts of the Munson & Bavougian Tennis Complex on Friday against NCAA Division I Weber State with first serve scheduled for 2:30 p.m.