AZUSA, Calif. -- Freshman Jill Baker's career night was not enough to lift the NAIA's No. 8-ranked to a dramatic comeback win over No. 13-ranked Point Loma Nazarene, as the Sea Lions knocked off the Cougars in 4 games, 30-27, 25-30, 30-28, 30-28. Baker posted a season-high 29 kills in a school-record 77 attempts, her second straight 20-kill performance and the seventh of her freshman campaign. Her attack attempt mark bests a standard set 16 years ago by Stacy Goldsberry in a 5-game loss to Pomona-Pitzer in 1990, 10 years before rally scoring was introduced at the NAIA level.

Baker, who has registered double-digits in kills in all 21 matches so far this season, put down 10 kills in the Cougars' game 2 win, and Azusa Pacific scored 25 of its 30 points on kills in that frame. Senior Chelsea Morgan added 20 kills, including 9 in the second game.

The Cougars jumped out to a quick 12-5 lead in the opening game, capped by a pair of consecutive aces from sophomore Megan Burch, but Point Loma Nazarene scored 18 of the next 25 points to take a 23-19 advantage. The Cougars took 1-point leads at 25-24 and 26-25, thanks to a 5-point run that started and finished with kills by Baker, but the Sea Lions posted a 5-1 run to take the first game, 30-27.

Baker got the second game rolling with consecutive kills, and Morgan capped a 5-point burst with 3 straight kills to give the Cougars a 10-4 lead. Azusa Pacific stretched its lead to 8 points at 16-8 following another pair of consecutive Baker kills, but the Sea Lions stormed back from a 20-14 deficit to come within a point at 21-20. Another pair of Baker kills inside a 5-point run helped the Cougars seal the 30-25 second-game victory and even the match at 1 game apiece.

The Cougars twice led the third game by 1 point, at 2-1 and 15-14, but Point Loma Nazarene used a 6-2 run out of a 21-21 tie to take a commanding 4-point lead at 27-23. Morgan kicked off 4 straight Cougar points with back-to-back kills, sophomore Brittany Brown served up an ace and the Sea Lions committed an attack error to knot the game at 27-27. After trading kills to a 28-28 tie, Point Loma Nazarene's Kate Alderson closed out game 3 with consecutive kills to give the Sea Lions a 30-28 win and a 2 games to 1 advantage heading into the fourth game.

With the fourth game tied early on at 3-3, the Cougars sandwiched 4 attack errors between a pair of Natalie Acklin kills to fall behind 9-3 before bouncing back to a tie the game at 15-15, the first of 4 ties until a 19-19 deadlock. Three more Cougar attack errors contributed to a 4-point Sea Lions run, and Point Loma Nazarene held its lead until setting up match point at 29-25. Azusa Pacific had one last comeback, as sophomore Allison Kincheloe set 3 straight kills for Brown, Morgan and Baker to bring the Cougars within a point at 29-28. However, the comeback bid fell short when the ensuing Cougar serve fell wide of the sideline to give Point Loma Nazarene the 30-28 win and seal the match for the Sea Lions.

In a match that featured numerous long rallies throughout each game, Azusa Pacific had 3 players post more than 20 digs. Brown finished with a team-high 26 digs, and in her first appearance on the front row this season, collected 9 kills. Kincheloe's 24 digs marked her third time this season with more than 20 digs, and she also served 2 aces and had 3 blocks. Junior Alison Pattison tallied 22 digs at the libero position for the Cougars. Burch added 11 kills and a team-high 3 aces, and sophomore Kelsey Knudsen posted a team-high 4 blocks.

The Sea Lions were led by Alderson's 19 kills, while Melissa Boer and Natalie Acklin tallied 17 kills each. Boer collected a match-high 29 digs and 5 blocks, while Acklin, went error-free in 29 attacks and finished with 7 blocks for Point Loma Nazarene.

With the loss, Azusa Pacific's lead over Point Loma Nazarene for the fourth spot in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings shrinks to 1, as the Cougars drop to 8-4 in conference play, 16-5 overall. The Sea Lions improve to 7-5 in GSAC, 15-5 overall. Azusa Pacific returns to action with its fourth straight home contest when it hosts Biola Oct. 17.