COSTA MESA, Calif. -- The NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific stared near-certain defeat straight in the eyes, then pulled off the doubles sweep it needed to rally from a 4-2 deficit for a 5-4 win over No. 12 Vanguard Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight week, junior Jessalyn Lau and freshman Emily Ignas carried the Cougars’ fate on the result of their No. 3 doubles point. Last week at No. 10 Point Loma Nazarene, the tandem lifted the Cougars to a 5-4 comeback win, and the pair came through again with a 9-7 win to finish the doubles sweep for the team victory.
Azusa Pacific played the entire match without its top 2 singles players, sophomores Sheryl Bon and Casey Wetzig, who were both unable to play due to injury. The Cougars even considered defaulting a doubles point, as well, after freshman Leah Hoffee’s grueling 3-set defeat at No. 4 singles. However, Hoffee ultimately decided to take on the challenge of a No. 1 doubles matchup with one of the top doubles teams in the NAIA, Vanguard’s Hana Jurcovicova and Kateryna Malakhova.
”This was a well-deserved win for the team,” Cougar head coach Mark Bohren said. “Their performance today (without the top 2) is a testament to the depth and talent of all of our players. I know it’s a cliché, but when you just take it one point at a time, you really never know what can happen. Today’s match was proof of that.”
While Hoffee and sophomore Marie Tanaka battled deep into their doubles set, Azusa Pacific fell into an early 4-1 hole at No. 2 doubles with senior Katy Jelsma and freshman Natalie McNall. The pair stormed back to win 7 of the next 8 games to pull the Cougars to within 4-3 in the dual match, and Hoffee and Tanaka claimed a narrow 9-8 win to even the match at 4-4 and set up the thrilling finish at No. 3 doubles, where Lau and Ignas posted a 9-7 win to deliver the match for the Cougars.
Vanguard won at each of the top 3 singles positions in straight sets, but Azusa Pacific victories at No. 5 with Lau and No. 6 with Jelsma gave the Cougars a chance to tie the match as Hoffee headed into a third set. Jelsma’s win was just her second appearance in singles play this season, and it provided a crucial point for Azusa Pacific when Hoffee’s third set resulted in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat for the true freshman to Vanguard’s sophomore Swede Anna Valingsten.
Azusa Pacific has won the last 3 meetings with the Lions in Costa Mesa, all by the same 5-4 margin, and the Cougars have won 3 straight in the regular-season against Vanguard.
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 12-6 overall, 11-3 GSAC, and the Cougars have sole possession of second place in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. Vanguard falls to fifth in the conference, dropping to 11-6 overall and 9-5 GSAC. Azusa Pacific visits NAIA No. 2-ranked Fresno Pacific on Tuesday, April 7, before closing out the regular season with 3 straight home matches.
SINGLES
1. Hana Jurcovicova (VU) def. Natalie McNall (APU); 6-1, 6-1
2. Betyel Tesfa (VU) def. Emily Ignas (APU); 6-1, 6-0
3. Kateryna Malakhova (VU) def. Marie Tanaka (APU); 6-4, 6-3
4. Anna Valingsten (VU) def. Leah Hoffee (APU); 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Jessalyn Lau (APU) def. Maria Fernanda Xavier (VU); 6-1, 6-0
6. Katy Jelsma (APU) def. Brittnie Furuvald (VU); 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4
DOUBLES
1. Hoffee/Tanaka (APU) def. Jurcovicova/Malakhova (VU); 9-8
2. Jelsma/McNall (APU) def. Valingsten/Xavier (VU); 8-5
3. Ignas/Lau (APU) def. Furuvald/Tesfa (VU); 9-7
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3*
* = clinching match
