Senior Stephanie Quan earned a hard-fought win at No. 5 singles in the Cougars narrow 5-4 loss to Williams on Monday, March 24. Photo credit: Steven Mercado
After falling into an early 3-1 hole, the Azusa Pacific women’s tennis team failed to come back against NCAA Division III No. 2-ranked Williams on Monday, March 24, losing the match 5-4.
The Ephs (6-0) started the day with a dominant victory at No. 1 doubles. Kathleen Elkins and Maria Pylypiv did not allow seniors Emily Harris and Stephanie Quan to win one game, defeating them 8-0. Harris and Quan had not played a doubles match together this season prior to this match.
The Cougars answered at No. 3 doubles. Senior Kim Koetterheinrich and sophomore Lindsey Yeom won their first match at the No. 3 spot this season, defeating Hannah Atkinson and Monica Pastor, 8-5.
Williams closed doubles play with a victory at No. 1 doubles in which Kara Shoemaker and Rebecca Curran defeated junior Danae Ingwaldson and freshman Natalie Johnson 8-5. This was Ingwaldson and Johnson’s second match as the No. 1 doubles team and their first loss as partners.
Pylypiv opened singles play with a win over Yeom at the No. 4 spot, losing only one game in her 6-0, 6-1 victory. Johnson answered at No. 2 singles, defeating Kathleen Elkins 6-1, 6-3 to improve her team-high record to 11-3.
The Ephs won the next two matches, clinching the victory over the Cougars after Linda Shin defeated Inwaldson at No. 3 singles 6-1, 7-5 and Shoemaker prevented No. 25-ranked Harris from earning her 10th singles win of the year, winning at the No. 1 spot 7-5, 6-3.
Quan and Koetterheinrich finished the match with strong three-set victories at No. 5 and 6 singles. Koetterheinrich was the first to finish, falling in her first set only to come back and win the next two sets to defeat Atkinson 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Quan defeated Curran in a match that saw many extra games, emerging victorious 7-5, 2-6, 11-9.
Azusa Pacific falls to 11-5, but keeps its national ranking at No. 16. The Cougars look forward to Friday, March 28 when they face Fresno Pacific (7-8). The Sunbirds bested the Cougars at Fresno in their previous matchup on Feb. 17 in a narrow 5-4 win. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Munson & Bavougian Tennis Complex.