HPU upsets BYUH for historic tennis win

Hawaii Pacific junior Celina Goetti rallied from a 4-1 third-set deficit to defeat third-ranked Sherry Liu and finish off a historic 5-4 victory over Brigham Young-Hawaii Wednesday at Laie.

It was the fifth-ranked Sea Warriors’ first win over the second-ranked Seasiders, and left HPU 4-0 this season. BYUH is 9-1. It was also the Seasiders’ first regular-season dual-match loss since they joined NCAA Division II in 1999.

Goetti, a junior from Australia, ended it by winning the last five games, for a 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4 win at No. 2 singles.

Earlier, BYUH won two of the three doubles matches with Goetti and Liza Rybakova getting HPU’s only point. Magdalena Smejova won at fifth singles to tie the team match and Carrie Shuler also won in straight sets. Karen Ramirez rallied to win in three and put the Sea Warriors on the brink.

The Seasiders got singles wins from top-ranked Annie Hwang at No. 1 singles and Marietta Tuionetoa at No. 4.

The HPU men defeated Xavier — ranked 73rd in NCAA Division I — Wednesday by a score of 5-4. The Sea Warriors were also fifth in Wednesday’s first Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking of the year.