SURPRISE, Ariz. - Both CUI tennis teams bounced back with a victory after tough draws in their first round matches at the PacWest Conference Championships.
CUI Men Finish Sixth
The CUI men defeated Fresno Pacific 4-1 in the consolation bracket after getting bounced by No. 4 seed Hawaii Hilo in the quarterfinals.
The Green and Gold saw a solid performance from
recent All-PacWest selection Leon Czarnikau on Friday against the Sunbirds at the No. 1 singles spot. He won 6-1, 6-1 over Ben Croneau to set the early tone. He and teammate
Adam Large also won their No. 3 doubles pairing 6-1, but FPU secured the double point.
Mike Jansen and
Younes Kodiji won in straight sets by identical 6-0, 6-3 scores. The decisive win for the Eagles came at the No. 2 singles spot when
James Caddies came from behind to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 to help CUI clinch the 4-1 victory.
Â
The Eagles were the No. 5 seed this year and faced No. 3 seed Biola in the fifth place game Saturday as both squads worked their way back from first round defeats.
Czarnikau won 6-3, 7-5 in the No. 1 singles spot against Biola's Sebastian Herrera. Biola won the doubles point and at the No. 2 and No. 4 singles positions but CUI also earned points at the No. 3 and No. 5 singles positions.
Jan Simon won in the No. 3 spot by a count of 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.Â
Adam Large cruised to victory 6-0, 6-0 at the No. 5 singles position.
So it was 3-3 and it came down to No. 6 singles with an epic battle between
Younes Kodiji and Biola's Callen Hein. Kodiji won the second set 6-4 but Hein ultimately escaped by winning the third and deciding set 6-4 as well.
CUI Women Finish Ninth
The Eagles dominated their match against Colorado Mesa by a score of 4-1 after losing to Hawaii Hilo on Wednesday.
Maya Arksey won at the No. 2 singles position for the second straight day.Â
Alyssa Zayat won 7-6, 6-4 to earn a point at No. 3 singles while
Alicia Da Re won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 5 singles.
CUI also won the doubles point. Zayat and
Kimia Rahmani teamed up for a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles plus
Jennifer Jolin was paired with
Alicia Da Re for a 7-6 win at the No. 3 position.
CLICK HERE for a look back at the CUI men's tennis schedule
CLICK HERE for a look back at the CUI women's tennis schedule
