SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Three days ago, the NAIA's No. 13-ranked Azusa Pacific could do little to stop a powerful offense in a sweep on its home floor, but Tuesday night the Cougars played the role of an efficient offense, committing just 12 attack errors in a 30-16, 30-26, 30-25 road sweep over Westmont.
Freshman Jill Baker led all hitters with 12 kills, returning to double digits in the kill column after posting 10 or more kills in the first 26 matches to start the year. Senior Chelsea Morgan added 9 kills in 21 attempts, and sophomore Kelsey Knudsen collected 8 kills in 13 attempts and added a match-high 3 blocks.
In the opening game, back-to-back kills from sophomore Megan Burch and Baker sparked a 12-point run that turned a close 15-10 margin into a commanding 27-10 advantage. Baker had 3 kills in the run, but the Cougars benefited largely from 6 Westmont hitting errors in the run. Baker finished with 5 kills in the opening game as Azusa Pacific went on to take a 1-game advantage with a 30-16 opening-game win.
Sophomore libero Brittany Brown finished with a team-high 13 digs, and Burch added 11 digs for the Cougars. Westmont's Kelsey Voetmann and Laura Trudelle each collected 11 kills, and Malinda Reese finished with a match-high 21 digs to lead the Warriors.
With the win, Azusa Pacific remains in a fourth-place tie in the GSAC standings with No. 16-ranked Biola, which needed 4 games to pick up a road win over Hope International this evening, while No. 11-ranked Point Loma Nazarene was idle. The Cougars improve to 20-8 overall, 12-7in GSAC play with 1 conference match remaining. Westmont drops to 7-16 overall, 5-14 in conference play.
Azusa Pacific wraps up the regular season Thursday, Nov. 9, when it takes on No. 3-ranked California Baptist. Biola hosts No. 4-ranked Concordia Saturday night, while Point Loma Nazarene hosts Fresno Pacific and The Master's this weekend to wrap up the conference slate. The 8-team NAIA Region II playoffs will begin with first-round matches at the sites of the higher seeds Tue., Nov. 14.
