SURPRISE, Ariz. — No. 7 Azusa Pacific women's tennis saw its historic season come to a close Tuesday afternoon, falling to No. 10 UT Tyler 4-3 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Championships at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, the Cougars concluded the season with a 24-3 overall record, setting a new program record for single-season victories and surpassing the 2014 and 2023 teams that each recorded 22 wins.
The match lived up to its national-stage billing from the opening doubles point.
UT Tyler grabbed the early advantage with wins at No. 2 doubles and a tightly contested tiebreak victory on court one over APU's nationally ranked duo of Stina Larsson and Karola Suviste. The No. 3 doubles match was left unfinished.
Order of finish (doubles): 2, 1
Trailing 1-0, the Cougars responded with resilience in singles play.
Stina Larsson delivered one of the biggest wins of the afternoon at No. 1 singles, defeating nationally ranked No. 9 Yona Bancarel in dominant fashion, 6-3, 6-1, to even the match. Kimberly Tran followed with a composed 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 6, while Shannele Lopez battled through a three-set marathon to earn a gritty 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2 win at No. 4 singles.
But UT Tyler answered with victories on courts two, three, and five, narrowly edging out several tightly contested matches to secure the deciding fourth point.
Karola Suviste pushed her No. 3 singles match into a third set after winning a second-set tiebreak before the Patriots ultimately closed out the dual.
Order of finish (singles): 1, 6, 2, 5, 4
The loss concludes one of the most successful seasons in Azusa Pacific women's tennis history. The Cougars captured the PacWest Championship, earned a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA finals site, and established a new standard for wins in a single season.
With veteran leadership, postseason success, and another championship run, the 2026 squad leaves behind one of the defining seasons in program history.
