SURPRISE, Ariz. — No. 1 Azusa Pacific women's tennis battled through a back-and-forth championship match Friday afternoon, defeating No. 2 Point Loma 4–2 to capture the 2026 PacWest Conference title at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Center.

The victory secures the Cougars an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships and marks their third PacWest title, closing out the conference era in championship fashion.

Point Loma struck first, claiming the doubles point to take early momentum. But Azusa Pacific responded with authority at the top of the singles lineup.

Stina Larsson, later named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, led the charge with a dominant 6–3, 6–1 win at No. 1 singles. Vini Bautista followed with a strong 6–4, 6–2 victory at No. 2, and Karola Suviste added another straight-set win at No. 3 (6–3, 6–2) to give APU a 3–1 advantage.

The Sea Lions refused to go away, cutting the deficit to 3–2 with a win at No. 5 and setting up a dramatic finish.

All eyes turned to court six, where Kimberly Tran and Point Loma's Melissa Zirkle battled in a marathon match that stretched over three hours. Tran took the opening set 6–1, but Zirkle responded, saving two match points in a second-set tiebreak to force a third.

The deciding set featured long rallies, momentum swings, and even a medical timeout, but Tran showed resilience down the stretch, closing out a 6–1, 6–7 (6–8), 7–5 victory to clinch the championship for the Cougars.

A third-set battle on court four between Shannele Lopez and Point Loma's Perla Conde Vendrell was left unfinished, tied 5–5 at the time of clinch.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 23–2 overall and heads into the NCAA Tournament with momentum and a championship in hand.