Azusa Pacific men's tennis delivered a statement week on the court and was rewarded with a clean sweep of the Pacific West Conference's weekly honors, as
Soeren Grandke was named
PacWest Player of the Week and the
Cougars earned Team of the Week recognition.
The accolades come after Azusa Pacific posted two dominant victories, defeating
Hawai'i Hilo and
Hope International by identical
7–0 scores to improve to
9–4 overall and extend their winning streak to five matches.
Grandke Leads the Charge
Junior
Soeren Grandke anchored the Cougars' lineup with a perfect
4–0 record during the week, winning twice in singles and twice in doubles while competing on the top court in both matches.
The Dreieich, Germany native delivered the highlight performance of the week in Azusa Pacific's matchup with Hawai'i Hilo. Facing
Jaime Paquet, one of the top players in the conference who entered the match
5–0 on the season, Grandke secured a gritty
6–4, 7–5 victory in a battle of elite PacWest competitors.
Grandke also earned a straight-set victory over
Karan Srivastava of Hope International and partnered with
Mathys Pinoit for doubles wins in both matches. The duo continues to be one of the top tandems in Division II and has consistently provided APU with an early advantage in doubles play.
A
two-time All-PacWest selection, Grandke's leadership and consistency at the top of the lineup have been key factors in the Cougars' recent success.
Cougars Earn Team of the Week
Azusa Pacific's dominance throughout the lineup earned the Cougars
PacWest Team of the Week honors after the pair of convincing shutouts.
Against Hawai'i Hilo, APU handled a strong Vulcan squad with commanding singles performances, winning
five of six singles matches in straight sets while controlling doubles play.
The Cougars followed that performance with another sweep against
Hope International, again dominating singles with
five straight-set victories while taking all three doubles courts.
The back-to-back shutouts highlight the Cougars' depth and balance, with contributions coming from every spot in the lineup.
