Note: This story was updated after the conclusion of the PacWest Championships.

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Concordia University Irvine senior Johanna Keeline and doubles partner Ghazal Pakbaten were named First-Team All-PacWest on Wednesday as one of the top three pairings in the entire league.

The duo broke into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top 50 rankings in March, rising as high as No. 45 on March 27. Together, Keeline and Pakbaten won 13 regular season matches this spring including five in a row twice.

A sophomore from Iran, Pakbaten also earned First-Team All-PacWest honors in singles.  This is the second straight year she was honored by the league, after garnering both all-conference honors as well as the 2018 PacWest Women's Tennis Freshman of the Year Award. Pakbaten ranks No. 19 in singles entering this week's tournament.

Keeline and Pakbaten each held true to form on Wednesday morning as the Eagles battled Biola in the first round of the PacWest Conference Championships.  The two combined to win their doubles match 6-1 while CUI teammates Taylor Lau and Haley Diefenbach also took care of business to give the Green and Gold the doubles point.  Lau and Sam Schuster (6-2, 6-2) each won in straight sets to give CUI the first two singles points before Keeline and Pakbaten each prevailed to seal the victory.  CUI handled their Southern California rivals 5-0 and advanced to face No. 3 seed Azusa Pacific in the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, the Cougars prevailed 4-1 in that Thursday matchup despite Pakbaten earning a point with another victory in No. 1 singles.  After falling to Cal State Los Angeles on Friday, the CUI women eventually finished in seventh place at the PacWest Championships after defeating Fresno Pacific in the consolation bracket on Saturday.

The end-of-the-year league award announcements were made at the annual PacWest banquet as teams from the entire conference converged on Surprise, Ariz. to compete for the 2019 PacWest Championships.  Coaches voted on the top 18 singles players and the top nine doubles pairings throughout the conference which make up the three all-conference teams.

Freshman Yassine Smiej of the Concordia men's tennis team was also honored by the PacWest Conference.  Smiej routinely competed as the No. 1 singles player for the CUI men's squad just like Pakbaten did for the women. He and the CUI men's tennis team ultimately finished in fourth place at the PacWest Championships after upsetting No. 4 seed Sonoma State in the quarterfinals.

For the full CUI women's tennis schedule, click here.

For the full women's bracket of the PacWest Conference Tournament, click here.