SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A three-hour battle with Hawai`i Pacific went against Azusa Pacific in the end as the Sharks won 4-2 in the third-place match at the PacWest Championships on Saturday morning as the Cougars set their sights now on the NCAA West Regional.

No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific got off to a slow start just a day after suffering the first loss of the season to a PacWest team. The Cougars nearly overcame the sluggish start, but PacWest Newcomer of the Year Sayda Hernandez eventually lifted No. 6 seed Hawai`i Pacific to victory.

The Cougars remain in strong position to earn one of the two host bids for the NCAA West Regional thanks to a 2-0 record against Point Loma as well as regular season sweeps against both Concordia and Biola. Still, the ultimate decision on where the Cougars land in the draw is up to the NCAA committee. The announcement of the four-team draw will be on Monday, May 5.

The Sharks were in complete control throughout doubles to take the first point of the match, but the Cougars got strong starts in singles at the top of the lineup where Julia Jordan and Stina Larsson rushed out to early leads. Shannele Lopez also won her opening set, while Karola Suviste was locked in a tight battle at No. 4 singles.

Larsson faced Evi Roobol at No. 1 singles in a battle of the top-2 contenders for PacWest Freshman of the Year. Larsson won the award on Wednesday, and she showed why on Saturday. She won the match 6-0, 6-1. It is her fourth win this season where she didn't lose more than a single game and the second this week.

Then Lopez gave the Cougars their second point with her 6-3, 6-4 win. She will go into the NCAA postseason having won her last 13 sets in singles. Lopez now has 13 wins this season and all 13 have been in straight sets.

The Cougars continued to battle down the stretch but the Sharks had more left in the tank after having come into the tournament well rested. Hernandez ended up clinching the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles for Hawai`i Pacific.