AZUSA, Calif. -- Head coach Chris Keife has preached to his team all season the importance of playing at a consistent level.

His No. 7-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars have done exactly that in winning 24 matches in reaching the regional semifinals for the first time since 2002.

For his work, Keife was named the 2005 GSAC Coach of the Year as announced by the conference earlier this week. Jenny Brickner, Chelsea Morgan and Allison Kincheloe were selected to the 2005 All-GSAC team.

Keife becomes the second coach in program history to earn the award joining Lori Kildal who won it in 1994. He has guided the Cougars to 44 wins which is the most of any coach during their first 2 seasons at Azusa Pacific. His young team features 8 freshmen that propelled the Cougars to a third place finish in the conference.

For the second time in program history Azusa Pacific had 3 players chosen for the All-GSAC team matching the 2001 squad.

Brickner, a senior middle blocker, has had the finest year of her career this season. She has recorded 340 kills (3.27 k/g) with a career-high .435 hitting percentage a mark which ranks second in the conference and will break Lenee Hill’s .387 mark set in 1991.

She leads the team with 94 blocks and set a new school record with her 389th career assist block earlier this season. Additionally, Brickner has moved into third place on the Cougars’ all-time career kills list with 1,258. She becomes the fourth player in program history to earn a spot on the All-GSAC team 3 times.

Morgan led the Azusa Pacific in kills last season and is doing the same thing in her second season as a Cougar. She has 390 kills (3.75 k/g) and her second consecutive All-GSAC award. She has 91 blocks which places her 3 behind Brickner for the team lead.

Morgan has recorded at least 10 kills in 22 of the Cougars’ 31 matches.

For Kincheloe it was an honor received in her inaugural season. The freshman setter has had a stellar year being named GSAC Setter of the Week on 3 separate occasions and NAIA Setter of the Week once.

She has 1,464 assists which gives her a chance at breaking the Cougars’ single season record of 1,593 set by Mahea Burgess in 2002. She is also third on the team with 282 digs (2.71 d/g).

Azusa Pacific takes on No. 3-ranked California Baptist today in the region semifinals at 4 p.m. at the Special Events Center in Fresno, Calif.