PLNU Athletics

(SAN DIEGO) PLNU Women's Tennis is going back to the NCAA Championships.
 
No. 2 seed Point Loma defeated No. 3 seed Hawai'i Pacific on Friday in the NCAA West Regional, 4-2, to book its return trip to nationals.
 
Hosting an NCAA postseason match for the third consecutive season, PLNU defeated HPU for the second straight year in the regional round.
 
Point Loma claimed the doubles point, with Melissa Zirkle/Zoe Moley (No. 3) and Alina Kupfer/Perla Conde Vendrell (No. 2) winning 6-2 on their respective courts.
 

🎾 DOUBLES POINT GOES TO THE SEA LIONS

PLNU Women's Tennis takes a 1-0 lead against HPU in the NCAA West Regional, after Melissa Zirkle / Zoe Moley (No. 3) and Alina Kupfer / Perla Conde Vendrell (No. 2) win their doubles matches.#GoSeaLions pic.twitter.com/H3tvTw9x5E

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) May 8, 2026

 
The Sea Lions then won three of the five completed singles matches, with Kupfer winning in straight sets at No. 1 (6-4, 6-3).
 
Zirkle then pulled off a miraculous comeback at No. 6 (7-6, 7-6), trailing 0-4 in the first set and 1-5 in the second before storming back to win both in tiebreaks.
 
Then with PLNU leading 3-2, Moley officially punched PLNU's ticket to nationals with her 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory at No. 5, as her forehand winner sealed the Sea Lions' spot among the final 16 teams in NCAA Division II.
 

🚨 NATIONALS BOUND 🎾

PLNU Women's Tennis advances past the NCAA West Regional with a 4-2 victory over Hawai'i Pacific to book its spot in the @NCAADII Championships.#GoSeaLions pic.twitter.com/5nzGC6SdRC

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) May 8, 2026

 
Conde Vendrell was also leading 7-6, 5-7, 2-1 at No. 4 when Moley clinched the match.
 
The remaining 16 teams will be re-seeded ahead of the NCAA Championships, which will take place May 19-23 in Surprise, Arizona at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club.
 
POSTMATCH INTERVIEW