AZUSA, CALIF. –  Wins don't come much bigger than this. Azusa Pacific scored its biggest win of the season to date by pulling off a major upset of the NAIA's No. 2-ranked and previously unbeaten Point Loma Nazarene, 22-30, 30-27, 13-30, 31-29, 15-11 in Azusa.
 
The win is the Cougars' fifth in the past 6 matches, while the loss is Crusaders first of the season.
 
"We've been inconsistent and lacking confidence at times," said head coach Gerry Gregory. "Hopefully this will encourage our players that their hard work will eventually pay off. The fourth game was pivotal, and we came up with enough good plays to nip it."
 
Down 2-1, the Cougars forced the deciding fifth game with a dramatic flurry. By far the most dramatic game of the match, the Cougars led from the outset, and when the dust settled, they led 23-22.
 
Point Loma answered to take a 24-23 lead when sophomore All-American Jenna Sagehorn (Chino Hills, Calif./Whittier Christian HS) took serve and reeled off 2 consecutive aces to reclaim a 26-24 lead for the Cougars. Again, the Cougars led 29-27, and the Crusaders tied it at 29. Nevertheless, the Cougars were right there to answer the challenge, scoring the final 2 points.
 
In the fifth and deciding game, the Cougars jumped out to a commanding 6-1 lead. The Crusaders closed to within 2 points at 9-7, but again the Cougars withstood and opened up an 11-7 advantage they would not relinquish.
 
Freshman Adrienne Pepe (Arcadia, Calif./Maranatha HS), who admittedly struggled most of the night, reeled off 6 kills and no errors, including the match-winner, in the fifth game.
 
"I think I was intimidated because they were No. 2 in the country," said Pepe. "But in that fifth game the intensity picked up, the sets were amazing, and I just got on a high. It was awesome."
 
Sagehorn ended with a team-high 16 kills, 20 digs and 3 aces. Pepe had 12 kills and ended up hitting 24% for the match after entering the fifth game at 0%. Junior T.J. Gause (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) added 16 digs and sophomore Christy Kimmel (Costa Mesa, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) added 6 blocks and 8 digs.
 
With the win, the Cougars improve to 14-5 overall, 6-4 GSAC. Point Loma is now 17-1 overall, 9-1 GSAC.