IRVINE, CALIF. – Unranked Concordia played back-to-back
5-game marathon GSAC matches within 24 hours and won
both of them – much to the chagrin of the NAIA's No. 16
ranked Azusa Pacific.
 
Concordia, which last night downed Christian Heritage in 5
games, showed no signs of fatigue and matched Azusa
Pacific play-for-play to post a much-needed 15-8, 6-15, 15-11,
7-15, 15-10 victory over the Cougars.  The win keeps
Concordia's playoff hopes alive while Azusa Pacific's drive for
a first-round playoff match at home has been derailed for the
moment.
 
Cougar freshman Jenna Sagehorn recorded a school-record
33 kills (59 attempts) while fellow rookie Christy Kimmel added
a season-high 25 kills (66 attempts).   However, that was far
from enough to offset Concordia's balanced attack that featured
4 players with 11 or more kills and a defense that produced 13
blocks.
 
The Cougars' downfall came in the area of 45 attack errors,
nearly double Concordia's 27.
 
With the loss, Azusa Pacific falls to 18-7 overall, 8-6 in the GSAC.
Concordia, which earlier in the season fell in 5 games in Azusa,
improves to 18-9 overall, 7-7 in the GSAC.
 

MATCH STATS

Azusa Pacific        8    15    11    15    10
Concordia           15     6    15     7    15
 
Kills:  Sagehorn (APU) 33, Kimmel (APU) 25,
        Merritt (CU) 16, Shevlin (CU) 15
Digs:   Sagehorn (APU) 29, Wilson (APU) 28
Blocks: Sand (CU) 6, Whitehouse (CU) 5
Aces:   Kimmel (APU) 3, Gunsaulus (CU) 3
        Merritt (CU) 3