SURPRISE, Ariz. - In their first ever appearance in the PacWest tournament semifinals the Sea Lions put together one of their best efforts of the season facing the second-ranked team in the country, Hawaii Pacific. The Sea Lions fell 5-4 to the Sharks but PLNU got some great performances in both doubles and singles play to give HPU trouble down the stretch. Point Loma will have a chance to earn third place in the tournament when they face a familiar foe, Azusa Pacific, for their third meeting of the season and possibly playing for a chance to make it to the regional tournament. 

The Sea Lions came out fighting early and were able to come out of doubles competition with a 2-1 lead. Nikki Newell and Ellie Gamble continued their unbeaten streak since they have been playing together, earning their ninth win 8-5 at No. 3 doubles. Shelby Groeneveld and Michelle Torres both played phenomenally in both doubles and singles play, but it was their 8-5 doubles victory over the ninth-ranked pair of Lena Lutzeier and Oceane Adam that gave the Sea Lions momentum heading into singles play. 

Point Loma had a 2-1 lead coming into singles play and that momentum carried into the first part of singles play as four of the six matches stayed close early. Both Torres and Groeneveld were able to get first set wins en route to two more points for the Sea Lions but the Sharks proved to be resilient as they came back from down 4-1 to take four tough matches. After dropping her first set 0-6, Carolina Cuevas battled back for a second set win but fell in the third set to the ninth-ranked player in the country. Gabi Armas also fell in three sets after battling back from a tough first set loss. Nikki Newell faced the top-ranked singles player in the country and put forth one of her best efforts of the season, falling in two sets she pushed Lutzeier to a tie break in both sets but was unable to get the ball to bounce in her favor to earn a win. 

Team Records
Point Loma 18-6, Hawaii Pacific 17-2

Wheeler's Words
On battling one of the toughest teams in the country: "Today's match against HPU Women was a terrific team effort from top to bottom. Even though we weren't able to get that 5th win, I was proud of how focused the ladies played and fought hard for every point. Today was evidence that the ladies can beat any team in the country."

On Shelby and Michelle's doubles win: "Michelle and Shelby got an impressive win today at #1 doubles to give the team the lead 2-1 heading into singles. As a whole Michelle and Shelby have played great together because of their chemistry and teamwork on the court. They also have the mindset of no fear and believe they can beat anyone they play."

On taking their confidence and focus into the APU match tomorrow: "The ladies confidence and toughness will definitely be tested tomorrow against APU. Despite the tough loss today, they remain confident and focused on finishing the tournament with a strong win."

Up Next
The Sea Lions will play in the third place match against rival Azusa Pacific tomorrow at 9 a.m., the teams split their season series this year with Point Loma winning their most recent meeting, 5-4.    

#2 Hawai'i Pacific 5, #23 Point Loma 4
Singles competition
1. #1 Lena Lutzeier (HPU-WT) def. #46 Nikki Newell (PLNU-WT) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)
2. #9 Lara Meccico (HPU-WT) def. #12 Carolina Cuevas (PLNU-WT) 0-6, 7-5, 6-0
3. Shelby Groeneveld (PLNU-WT) def. #22 Oceane Adam (HPU-WT) 6-4, 6-3
4. Debora Echeverria (HPU-WT) def. Gabi Armas (PLNU-WT) 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
5. Leticia dos Santos (HPU-WT) def. Ellie Gamble (PLNU-WT) 6-0, 6-3
6. Michelle Torres (PLNU-WT) def. Barbora Kijasova (HPU-WT) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Shelby Groeneveld/Michelle Torres (PLNU-WT) def. #9 Lena Lutzeier/Oceane Adam (HPU-WT) 8-5
2. Lara Meccico/Barbora Kijasova (HPU-WT) def. Carolina Cuevas/Gabi Armas (PLNU-WT) 8-2
3. Nikki Newell/Ellie Gamble (PLNU-WT) def. Leticia dos Santos/Debora Echeverria (HPU-WT) 8-5

Match Notes:
Point Loma 18-6; National ranking #23
Hawai'i Pacific 17-2; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,3,5,2,4,1)
PacWest Tournament Semifinals
Hawai`i Pacific is the No. 1 seed
Point Loma is the No. 4 seed