AZUSA, Calif. – The final home match of the regular season for Azusa Pacific women's tennis resulted in a sweep over Fresno Pacific, 4-0, led by seniors Julia Jordan and Katherine Nguyen who played together in doubles and won 6-0 on Wednesday morning at the Munson & Bavougian Tennis Complex.
 
Azusa Pacific moved up to No. 14 in the ITA Rankings for NCAA Division II earlier in the day and then earned the eighth sweep of the season. The Cougars still have an opportunity to compete on their home courts one more time if they earn one of the top-2 seeds in the NCAA West Region.
 
The Cougars are now 17-2 on the season, including a 15-1 record against NCAA Division II opponents, which is the 5^th-best record in the nation. Fresno Pacific, which earned a berth into the PacWest Championships, dropped to 4-16.
 
Nguyen and Jordan opened the match with a straight-forward 6-0 win at No. 3 doubles to set the tone for the match. At the other end of the spectrum, the freshman duo of Stina Larsson and Karola Suviste won at No. 1 doubles 6-2 to clinch the first point of the match.
 
"I think it's funny, because last year I practiced so much with Katherine in the fall, but we ended up not being partners," Jordan said. "So when we've played doubles together this year, we immediately had a great connection. We know each other well, and that has made our experience together so enjoyable. She brings great energy and always pumps me up, and I know she has great hands at net. She's like a wall, so I always have confidence in her."
 
Shannele Lopez and Suviste each won their singles matches without dropping a single game. Lopez has now won six consecutive singles sets at love and has now won 11-consecutive completed sets in singles and doubles without losing more than three games in any set. Suviste is on a similarly impressive streak with 18-consecutive singles sets won, and she has won nine 6-0 sets this season.
 
Fittingly, it was senior Julia Jordan who clinched the match with her 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles over Daimy Paula. Jordan is now 11-4 on the season and 23-9 in her career for singles matches.
 
"Honestly, I felt pressure today," Jordan said. "It's the pressure nobody wants to talk about of not wanting to lose on your Senior Day. Daimy hits the ball really hard and she can pull the trigger pretty quickly. I was trying to have fun and keep the points short, but we had some tough rallies. I just tried to weather the storm and keep battling for my team."
 
The other three matches were left incomplete. Stina Larsson led her match 6-2, 3-2 against Yume Ueoku, who has put up her best results this season when facing the Cougars.
 
Nguyen and Jordan were playing in their final home regular season match, and the team got an opportunity to celebrate their achievements in their collegiate careers before the match.
 
"I know how much work Katherine has put into these last four years, and I'm so impressed," Jordan said. "It's not easy to go four years playing college tennis while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She is the definition of a student-athlete. She isn't 50-50 but truly gives 100% both to tennis and her academics, so I really admire her for that."
 
Jordan came to Azusa Pacific after playing her undergraduate career at NCAA Division I San Diego State. In her two years with the Cougars, she has been a critical part to the team's success, earning All-PacWest honors this year, and will be a strong candidate to repeat when the awards are announced next week.
 
"This is my sixth year, and it has been a journey," Jordan reflected. "I am super grateful for my experiences. I've had two Senior Days in a way, and this one was my favorite. We have a family as a team including the coaches. I'm so thankful to the coaches for letting me be part of the team, and I've enjoyed getting to know the girls and representing Azusa Pacific. I'm glad my parents pushed me to try something different. I'm really happy my experience here has been so positive that I wish I had been at APU all along, so I'm thankful to finish my journey here."
 
The journey keeps going for the Cougars on Thursday at 1 p.m. at Cal State LA. The Cougars will get their final test before the postseason begins in Surprise, Ariz., with the PacWest Championships on April 17-19.