AZUSA, CALIF. –  All season long, Azusa Pacific has developed a reputation for starting slow only to rally to thrilling victories.
 
Tonight, the Cougars gave a different look, shooting out of the gate early only to hit a wall before rallying with a furious close to defeat Biola, 30-26, 24-30, 26-30, 30-26, 15-7 in the opening round of the NAIA Region II Playoffs.
 
"Biola is a good team and they came back at us tonight," said Azusa Pacific head coach Gerry Gregory. "Maria Abaca got hurt and that really changed our lineup. That took us 2 or 3 games to make the adjustment. Tishanna (Pope) created problems for Biola's hitters as the match went on. She only had 4 blocks, but had controlled touches that affected their attacks."
 
With the win, the Cougars (23-8), ranked No. 14 in the NAIA, move into the Region II semifinals Friday night at Fresno Pacific vs. the No. 1-seed Sunbirds. With the loss, Biola finishes the season 22-14.
Azusa Pacific used a red-hot attack and 4 blocks from freshman Adrienne Pepe to jump out to a 12-1 lead in the opening game, while Biola stumbled to 12 attack errors. The Cougars held Biola at an 8-point margin for most of the way until the Eagles clawed their way to within 2 (28-26).
 
The opening game became a sign of things to come as the Cougars held leads in the next 2 games, only to see them slip away to a determined Eagle squad that seemingly zapped the momentum from the Cougars.
 
With their backs to the wall in the fourth game and the score tied 10-10, the Cougars used a 12-5 run to seemingly open up a safe 22-15 lead. However, the Eagles refused to go away, again clawing their way back to within 2 at 28-26.
 
However, the Cougars stood tall and forced a fifth and deciding game, which they dominated from the outset, taking an insurmountable 10-2 lead before trading the next 10 points with the Eagles and closing out the win on a T.J. Gause kill.
 
Sophomore All-American Jenna Sagehorn ended the night with 12 kills, 16 digs and 4 blocks. Sophomore Roxanna Merceradded 12 kills, sophomore Christy Kimmel had 10 kills, 2 aces and 10 digs, while Pepe ended with 10 kills and a match-high 10 blocks.