Hawai'i's finest tennis season was stopped a step short of its Sweet 16 goal yesterday when seventh-ranked UCLA shut out the Rainbow Warriors, 4-0, in the second round of the NCAA Men's Championship at Los Angeles Tennis Center.

The 'Bows (11-10) had won their previous five, beating two 20th-ranked teams and capturing their second Western Athletic Conference Championship in a row in the process. They are ranked a program-high 49th.

UCLA (19-4), which has won 15 NCAA titles, takes a 12-match winning streak into the final week of the team season. The Bruins have been in the Sweet 16 the last 32 years; the 'Bows were looking for their first appearance.

"We were right there with them," UH coach John Nelson said. "We set a goal to win the WAC and go to the Sweet 16 and we fell short, but they're winners. They worked hard and improved tremendously. Next year we'll be better.

"The team is disappointed, but we played one of the best teams in the country. We've come a long way when we feel bad losing to them."

UCLA won the doubles point, then moved to 3-0 with victories at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. It was UH senior Jeff Fitch's first loss in six matches.

Meanwhile, Hawai'i sophomore Dennis Lajola, No. 65 in the Campbell's/ITA Collegiate Rankings, won a tiebreaker in the first set against 64th-ranked Matt Brooklyn on the No. 1 court. UH junior Andreas Weber also won his opening set on the No. 2 court against No. 49 Haythem Abid.

Sascha Heinemann, Hawai'i's only other senior, lost the first set and was tied 5-all in the second when the Bruins got the fourth and final point with Harel Srugo's 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 over freshman Leo Rosenberg. Heinemann, UH's only four-time all-conference player, finished his career with 13 straight victories.

"He has been the backbone of the program," Nelson said. "He bought into the dream before we'd even done anything. It didn't matter what position he played, he's always trying to improve. He and Jeff helped put us on the map.

"We're moving in the right direction. We're not there yet, but we're not content."

Boise State, the team Hawai'i beat for the WAC title, reached the Sweet 16 by upsetting 14th-ranked Alabama.

HPU ADVANCES

Sandra Wikstrom teamed with Alexsandra Stankovic to win a doubles point, then added a singles victory as No. 14 Hawai'i Pacific defeated host No. 10 UC San Diego, 5-3, yesterday in an NCAA Division II Women's West Regional at La Jolla, Calif.

Wikstrom and Stankovic won their No. 3 doubles match, 3-0, and Wikstrom beat Tessa Tran, 6-4, 6-0, at No. 6 singles for the Sea Warriors, who advance to the national tournament, May 13 to 16, in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

HPU also got singles victories from Zora Vickova at No. 1, Anastasia Ageychik at No. 3 and Ingrid Cseh at No. 4.

Earlier, top-ranked Brigham Young-Hawai'i also qualified for the nationals.

TSAY, WEBB WIN JUNIORS

Sixth-seeded Ellen Tsay, from Pleasanton, Calif., upset third-seeded Annie Mulholland, 6-3, 6-2, yesterday to capture the girls title of the second annual Hawai'i ITF Junior Tournament at Central O'ahu Regional Park.

Fourth-seeded Dane Webb, from Richardson, Texas, won the boys title when top-seeded Robert Howe of Australia retired with an injury. Webb had won the first set 6-3 and was up 1-0 in the second.

The ITF is the world governing body of tennis and its Junior Circuit is the highest level for players 18 and under, with 338 tournaments in 114 countries. Players from 13 countries competed here.