LA MIRADA --- No. 19 Biola had a close, hard dual against the #12 Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon at the Biola Tennis Center. One point made the difference between the two juggernauts, as the Cougars escaped with the 4-3 win.

Saturday's match began with doubles play. The Cougars went at it straight from the jump as they pushed quickly for a pair of wins. On court No. 3 the visiting team finished first with a 6-2 win. Shortly after, the Cougars added a 6-4 win on court number one to secure the doubles point and a 1-0 edge. 

The Eagles regrouped after giving up the first point and focused on singles play. Alexei Prokopchuk was the first to finish for BU, producing some excitement for his team to try and get the momentum going. He flew by his opponent in two sets, both with a score of 6-2. APU immediately responded though, bringing the match to 2-1.

Once again the Eagles answered, tying the competition at two points with a win from the No. 1 spot. Sebastian Herrera tallied the victory for BU, nabbing back-to-back 6-4 set wins to score a point.

Two more solo wins came in from the Cougars next to close the door on BU. Courts three and four also finished in straight-set fashion, clinching the win for APU. 

Alex Sedeno kept fighting despite the imminent team result. Sedeno pulled out a three-set victory to end the day on a positive note and bring the Eagles within one point at the finish.

Biola looks to move forward as they get ready for Fresno Pacific at home at 12:00 pm on February 25. For live stats links and updates check athletics.biola.edu.