LA MIRADA, Calif. — No. 12 Azusa Pacific came up just short Thursday afternoon, falling 4–3 to Biola in a tightly contested Cornerstone Cup showdown at the Biola Tennis Center.

The Cougars (4–4) opened the match strong, capturing the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. David James Brownlee and Viktor Van Craenenbroeck earned a 6–2 victory at No. 2 doubles, while Christopher Marci and Joan Crespo followed with a 6–4 win at No. 3 to give APU the early 1–0 edge.
Order of finish (doubles): 2, 1, 3

Biola (6–0) answered in singles play, but the Cougars battled throughout the lineup.

At the top of the order, Soeren Grandke secured a three-set victory at No. 1 singles, defeating his nationally ranked opponent 6–2, 3–6, 6–1. Joan Crespo added another point at No. 5 with a comeback win in three sets, keeping APU within striking distance.

However, the Eagles claimed victories at Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 6 to clinch the dual. The decisive swing came in the middle courts, where tightly contested matches ultimately went Biola's way to secure the 4–3 result.
Order of finish (singles): 6, 3, 2, 1, 5, 4

Despite earning the doubles point and pushing multiple singles matches deep, Azusa Pacific was unable to close out the rivalry matchup.