No. 11 Academy of Art versus No. 5 Hawaii Pacific Final Results
 
SURPRISE, Ariz. – No. 11 Academy of Art headed to the semifinals of the PacWest Championship and was met with a familiar foe: No. 5 Hawaii Pacific. It was the third time the two teams faced each other in the conference championship and the second time that two went head-to-head in the semis. However, the Sharks bested the Urban Knights by a score of 5-1 on Friday after taking a 2-1 lead into singles.
 
As the doubles portion of the match began, Academy of Art looked to exude their dominance in that category as they have done all season. However, ART U was met with heavy competition across the board and only managed to come away with a win in the third position. Sophomores Monika Stanikova and Paula Alcantara were dominant in that match, winning by a score of 8-2.
 
Heading into singles, the Knights looked to come from behind, needing four wins to advance to the final. However, three ranked HPU players in the first through third positions bested Academy of Art to win the match, leaving three contests unfinished. ART U led in all of those contests with each taking the opening set. Freshman Mariacristina Andrisani led 6-1 and sophomores Alcantara and Alma Thell-Lenntorp each took their sets 6-4.
 
The Urban Knights will now face No. 23 Cal State LA in a battle for third place. ART U faced the Golden Eagles earlier this season and took the contest 5-1. First serve will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex.