Point Loma Nazarene 1
25-30, 30-15, 30-25, 30-28
AZUSA, Calif. –- Azusa Pacific overcame a slugging start to play impressive volleyball in the final 3 games of a 3-1 (25-30, 30-15, 30-25, 30-28) GSAC win at Point Loma Nazarene Saturday night.
The win is the Cougars third straight and their eighth in the past 10 matches. The Cougars improve to 11-5 overall, 4-2 in the GSAC. Point Loma drops to 7-9, 1-5.
Five Cougars reached double-figures in kills as the Cougars, who hit just .022 in dropping the opening game rebounded to hit a combined .341 over the final 3 games. San Diego native Colleen Walker led Azusa Pacific with 16 kills in her homecoming match.
Azusa Pacific committed 10 attack errors in the opening game but had just 6 errors over the next 2 game combined to seize momentum and set the table for the rest of the night. They led 5-3 in the second game before a Maria Abaca kill and 3 straight aces by Jenny Brickner pushed the led up to 9-3.
Point Loma answered with a kill, but the Cougars answered with an 11-3 spurt, keyed by 3 kills from Chelsea Morgan to take a 20-7 lead. The Sea Lions got no closer the rest of the way.
The Sea Lions bounced back, however, to make a match of it. In the third game they held a lead for most of the way, including a 16-13 advantage. However, the Cougars rallied to tie the game at 20-20 and then aided by 2 kills apiece from Brianne Huff and Abaca, they took a 24-21 lead.
Point Loma reeled off 3 straight points, and then a pair of kills for both sides tied the match at 25-25. The Sea Lions failed to score again though as Morgan and Walker recorded back-to-back kills in front of a pair of Sea Lion attack errors to set up Morgan’s game-winning kill.
With game 4 tied 19-19, the Cougars ripped off 7 straight points to take a 26-19 lead and seemed as if they would cruise in for the win. However, the Sea Lions mounted a furious comeback taking advantage of 4 Cougar attack errors to close within 28-27. However, as she has done for most of the season, Morgan stepped up in the clutch with a pair of kills to put the match away.
Morgan finished with 15 kills and a team-high 4 blocks. Abaca had one of her most impressive matches of the season finishing with 13 kills and 11 digs. Brickner had 12 kills and 4 aces, and Huff finished with 10 kills, 10 digs and 4 aces.
The win snaps the Cougars’ 3-match losing skid to the Sea Lions and is just their fifth in the past 27 matches with Point Loma.
