SAN FRANCISCO — A memorable 2015 season came to an end Saturday for the No. 9 Academy of Art University women's tennis team after a hard-fought match, as No. 11 Hawaii Pacific defeated the Urban Knights 5-2 in the NCAA Division II West Regional at the San Francisco Tennis Club.
 
The second-seeded Urban Knights (13-6) were playing host to the third-seeded Sharks (21-6) for the right to advance to the NCAA Division II Championship site in Surprise, Ariz. But after HPU took a 2-1 lead through doubles, it took just 90 minutes for it to win three singles matches and clinch the victory. It was the second year in a row that Hawaii Pacific eliminated the Urban Knights from the NCAA postseason after sweeping them 5-0 last season in Hawaii.
 
The doubles competition was closer than it appears. Hawaii Pacific won No. 1 and No. 2 doubles by identical scores of 8-5, while Academy of Art won No. 3 doubles 8-2. Junior Michelle Dandik Zaale and freshman Dorota Markowska made quick work of Vivian Hansen and Julia Sauer at No. 3, winning 8-2 and giving the Urban Knights a 1-0 edge.
 
The No. 5-ranked HPU team of Kristyna Hancarova and Nicole Hoynaski handled the No. 19-ranked ART U pair of senior Nina Gajdosikova and junior Annika Schneider 8-5 at No. 1 to make it 1-1. Junior Lucia Zavarcikova and senior Jenny Johansson led Lorena Gheorghe and Lea Kruse-Utermann 3-2 at No. 2 doubles, but Gheorghe and Kruse-Utermann won five straight games to take a 7-3 lead. Zavarcikova and Johansson came back to win consecutive games and make it 7-5, but that's as close as they would get before HPU won the doubles competition with another 8-5 decision.
 
That left Academy of Art needing four singles decisions to win the match. It started strong by taking leads or tying the first set in five of the six matches. Those leads did not hold though, as HPU came back to win the first set in No. 1 through No. 5 singles.
 
Schneider was ART U's lone winner in singles, defeating Sauer 6-1, 6-3. She jumped out to 5-0 and 5-1 leads, respectively, in each set for the dominating victory. No. 23-ranked singles player Gajdosikova lost her first set against No. 13 Hancarova 6-4 but took a 2-1 lead in the second set. Hancarova ran off five straight wins however to take No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-2.
 
HPU's Hansen gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead after defeating Dandik 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Schneider's win made it 3-2, but Hancarova's victory pushed HPU back ahead 4-2. That's when Hawaii Pacific's Gheorghe capped the team's strong finish by winning the first five games of her second set versus Johansson en route to winning 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles and clinching the match.
 
Hawaii Pacific advances to the NCAA Division II Championship to be held May 13-16 in Surprise, Ariz., and hosted by the Pacific West Conference.