Box Score SURPRISE, Ariz. – The MSU Denver women's tennis team made a successful debut in the Pacific West Conference Tournament on Wednesday, rolling to a 4-0 win over Hawaii-Hilo.
 
"It was a good match," MSU Denver coach Josh Graetz said. "We played well. We started strong in doubles and it was a good morning."
 
Helena Steenberg won her No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-1 after combining with Lilly Stienemeier for a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles.
 
"Helena was the first to win a singles match, which was great because it put us up 2-0," Graetz said. "She had a great matchup because her opponent didn't like the slicing shots and moving forward."
 
By defeating the eighth-seeded Vulcans, ninth-seeded MSU Denver moves on to a bigger challenge – a quarterfinal dual Thursday at 9 a.m. MST (10 a.m. Denver time) against tournament No. 1 seed and national No. 6 Azusa Pacific (Calif.).
 
The Roadrunners picked up the doubles point with the win at No. 2 as well as a win by the 17^th-ranked No. 1 combination of Brooklyn Ross and Isabel Heras, who won 6-1. Gala Castello and Marie Cool were about to close out their No. 3 match, leading 5-2, before the doubles point was clinched.
 
In singles play, wins by Steenberg, Cool at No. 6 (6-1, 6-1) and Castello at No. 4 (6-3, 6-0) closed the match.
 
"Really everyone competed well," Graetz said. "I felt like all six were in control when the match was clinched. I think having such a tough schedule has paid off."
 
That tough schedule includes MSU Denver playing at Azusa Pacific on March 22, where it lost 6-1 in a dual that may have been closer than the final score indicated.
 
Ross/Heras won the match at No. 1 doubles, but Steenberg/Stienemeier was edged in a tiebreak to give the Cougars then doubles point. Then Steenberg lost in three sets at No. 2 singles. Castello won at No. 4 singles.
 
MSU Denver, which has now guaranteed itself three more duals and a finish of no worse than eighth, will try to extend its winning streak to nine in the dual with the Cougars.
 
Azusa Pacific is 12-2, with both losses to Division I opponents. Against Division II teams, the Cougars have earned 45 of a possible 53 points in duals.

"They've got a really good program, and it'll be a good match," Graetz said. "We pushed them last time. We think we can compete with them. Doubles will be really important. If we can get that point it will be a good head start and would go a long way towards winning the match."