Box Score (SURPRISE, Ariz.) In what could be a NCAA West Regional preview, PLNU Women's Tennis gave Hawaii Pacific a run for its money in the PacWest semifinals on Friday morning.
 
Top-seeded HPU came away with a 4-0 victory against the fourth-seeded Sea Lions but the margin was much closer than that, with the doubles point being decided in a tiebreak and Point Loma leading a pair of singles matches when the Sharks clinched the match.
 
"The women's team competed well today against Hawaii Pacific," Head Coach Curt Wheeler said. "There were lots of opportunities in both doubles and singles."
 
After HPU won at No. 2 doubles, Arianna Audelo and Thelma Sepulveda claimed a 7-5 victory at No. 1, setting up a winner-take-all No. 3 matchup.
 
With the set tied 5-5 on Court 1, Sepulveda won a rally of volleys to help PLNU's No. 1 pairing break serve and earn a chance to serve for the match.
 
Then with Sepulveda serving, an overhand smash at the net from Audelo helped the duo overcome a 30-40 deficit to win back-to-back points and even the doubles contests, 1-1.
 
Rachel Whittington and Amanda Letzring trailed 3-5 at No. 3 but held serve to stay alive. Powerful forehands from Whittington and a forehand winner from Letzring then earned the pairing a break of serve to tie the set at 5 apiece.
 
Strong serving from Whittington helped put PLNU's No. 3 pairing ahead 6-5. The Sea Lions had a chance to clinch the doubles point if it weren't for an out call that was overturned to an HPU ace by the official, with the deciding doubles match ultimately going to a tiebreak.
 
Point Loma got out to a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak and earned set point at 6-5 after Whittington's volley just grazed the line. The Sharks saved that set point before a Whittington ace earned PLNU a second set point.
 
However, HPU won the next three points to snatch a 1-0 overall match lead and gain valuable momentum, which the top seed took full advantage of to start singles play.
 
The top seed in the tournament won all three singles matches to finish – No. 1, 3 and 5 – to book its ticket to the PacWest Championship, but Sepulveda (7-6, 2-1) and Whittington (6-2, 4-4) held leads at No. 4 and 6 respectively when the match was called.
 
Joelle Lanz was also still alive at No. 2, trailing 4-6, 4-5, at the time HPU scored the clinching fourth point.
 
Point Loma (15-8 overall) will take on third-seeded Concordia on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Third Place Match.