INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--The University of Hawai`i Hilo men's tennis team has earned a place in the 2019 NCAA Division II National Tennis Championships and will host a Preliminary Round (West Region) match this Sunday, May 12, against Azusa Pacific.

The Vulcans, 12-4 on the season and the No. 2 seed, will face the No. 3 Cougars (23-3) at 10 a.m. on Sunday on the Kona side of the Big Island at the Fairmont Orchid. The winner of the match will advance to the national tournament site in Altamonte Springs, Florida, May 21-25.

Two teams from the west will advance to the 16-team championships. The other west region match pits No. 1 seed and host Hawai`i Pacific against No. 4 seed Sonoma State.

This will be the third meeting this year between the Vulcans and Cougars. APU won the first match on their own courts on March 27, 4-3, in a wild encounter that came down to the final court in a third-set tiebreaker. The Vulcans won the rematch at the Pacific West Conference semi-finals, 4-1, on April 19.

UH Hilo, who advanced to the national tournament last year, falling to Indianapolis, 5-3 in the Round of 16, is currently ranked No. 15 in the latest ITA Division II rankings. Azusa Pacific is No. 21.

The Cougars feature the PacWest Player of the Year in Jakob Schnaitter and Second Team selection Ryan Nuno. Schnaitter and Jesse Haas are a First Team PacWest doubles combo, while Leyton Bohren and Nuno were third team picks.

The Vulcans counter with First Team singles and doubles selections Vaclav Slezak and Alessandro Giuliato. Martin Soukal was named the Freshman of the Year and also earned Second Team singles and Third Team doubles honors. Chun En Wu joined Soukal in gaining doubles recognition.

In singles play, Schnaitter has defeated Slezak twice this year, while Giuliato defeated Nuno and then was in a third set marathon with him when the PacWest match was clinched. Soukal has defeated Bohren and Ronald Kang on court three, while Wu has a win over Haas and a loss to Bohren. Arturo Dell`Eva has a win over Dillon Barnard and a loss to APU's Marnix Plum, while Luca Checchia has defeated Haas and Plum.

To add to the intrigue, the Cougars won all three doubles matches in Azusa, and the Vulcans won all three in Arizona at the PacWest Championships.

"It is a very even match-up," said UHH interim head coach Kallen Mizuguchi. "It will be a battle again. It will be high quality tennis and very entertaining, I hope that tennis fans on the Big Island will be able to come out and support."

In addition to Hawai`i Pacific, other No. 1 seeds at the regional sites include Bluefield State, Southwest Baptist, Concordia NY, University of Indianapolis, MSU-Texas, Barry Fla., and defending champion Columbus State.

The Fairmont Orchid is one of the best facilities in the country and the grounds are certainly among the most scenic, located next to the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. There are 10 courts on site, with a stadium center court. The address is 1 North Kaniku Drive on the Kohala Coast, 96743.