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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, May 12, 2007

BYUH women in Division II title match

Advertiser Staff

Top-ranked Brigham Young-Hawai'i put itself in position to win a seventh women's national tennis title, but the Hawai'i Pacific women were ousted from the NCAA II National Championships after a 5-3 quarterfinal loss to third-ranked Lynn University (Fla.) yesterday at Altamonte Springs, Fla.

BYUH (32-0) will play fourth-ranked West Florida today for the title. The Seasiders got past three-time national champion, and second-ranked, Armstrong Atlantic (Ga.) yesterday, 5-1, in a rain-delayed semifinal.

BYUH has won its past 59 matches and captured six national titles since 1999, including four of the past five. At Tuesday's Intercollegiate Tennis Association awards program, BYU-Hawai'i's Yuliya Ustyuzhanina received the National Senior of the Year Award, Dori Magas was named NCAA II National Player to Watch, Maggie Deng earned West Region Rookie of the Year and David Porter West Region Coach of the Year.

BYU-Hawai'i's Junyoung Kim received the NCAA II West Region Senior of the Year Award for the men. The Seasiders had their season ended by HPU in regional finals. University of Hawai'i-Hilo's Daniel Pollock earned the national ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership & Sportsmanship. HPU's Hendrik Bode was the West's ITA Rookie of the Year.

HPU's women (18-7) led Lynn 2-1 after winning two of three doubles matches Thursday before the match was postponed due to rain. When play resumed yesterday, the Sea Warriors split the first two singles matches, with Lauren Shin getting a win at No. 6. But Lynn, a three-time national champion, captured the next three matches, which all went three sets.

"It is a big help to have BYUH here," HPU coach Stefan Pampulov said. "They are great competition. We are always trying to close the gap on them. This year we managed to get closer every match. Playing them is something any good team that can learn from its mistakes can benefit from."

The HPU men were eliminated in the second round Thursday when they lost to Lynn, 5-2. The Florida school went on to sweep top-ranked West Florida and reach today's final. The Sea Warriors beat Washburn (Kan.), 5-1, Wednesday in the Round of 16.

LAM BEATEN

Honolulu's Chris Lam fell in the quarterfinals of the $10,000 Garber Automall Pro Classic yesterday in Orange Park, Fla. Lam was beaten by Italy's Adriano Biasella, 7-5, 6-4.

Lam, a career-high 641st in the world rankings, earlier beat Australian Carsten Ball, 6-2, 6-3. Lam will play in a USTA Futures event next week in Tampa.