LA MIRADA, Calif. -- For the third straight match, the NAIA's No. 10-ranked Azusa Pacific had to play from behind in order to extend its season-opening win streak, this time surviving a 2-game deficit at No. 18-ranked Biola before sweeping the final 3 games behind the play of senior Chelsea Morgan and freshman Jill Baker in a thrilling 33-35, 22-30, 30-19, 30-27, 15-12 victory, the eighth consecutive for the Cougars.
In the first 2 games, the Cougars committed 21 attack errors, and the Eagles had racked up 10 blocks. From the start of Game 3, however, Morgan put away 11 of her 18 kills while committing just 2 attack errors, and Baker tallied 13 of her team-high 21 kills with just 2 attack errors.
"Things did not come out the way we thought they would," said Cougar head coach Chris Keife. "We had far too many errors, both in service and hitting, to start the match. We may have been too amped emotionally at the beginning, but we settled down after Game 2."
In Game 3, the Cougars jumped out to a 21-12 lead, but Biola grabbed 7 of the next 10 points to cut the lead to 24-19. Back-to-back kills by Baker and sophomore Megan Burch followed by sophomore Brittany Brown's service ace stifled the Eagles run, and Baker knocked down 2 more kills to finish off the 6-point run in a 30-19 Game 3 victory.
Baker kicked off a hard-fought Game 4 with another kill to set off another 6-point outburst, and Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 10-3 lead. With the Cougar lead still at 7 points at 14-7, Biola stormed back with a 10-4 run that cut the lead to 18-17, but Morgan reeled off consecutive kills to give the Cougars some breathing room. Biola was not finished, however, and a 6-1 run seemingly gave the Eagles control of the match with a 25-24 lead. Again Baker stepped up to the challenge, accounting for all 5 Cougar points with 4 kills and a combination block with Morgan before another Biola attack error sent the match to the deciding game.
After spotting the Eagles 3-point leads of 3-0 and 6-3 to start the fifth game, Morgan registered a kill and served 2 more points to tie the game at 6-6. With the Cougars trailing 9-8, Baker's 21st kill of the match sparked a 5-point burst that gave Azusa Pacific control of the match with a 13-9 lead before holding off several furious rallies to seal the match with a 15-12 win.
"I was proud of Chelsea tonight," said Keife, whose squad survived a 5-game match for the second time in less than a week after defeating Vanguard last Thursday in the Cougars' home opener. "Even though she wasn't having a great match, she stepped it up and was there whenever we needed her towards the end. Jill also played very well as a freshman to help lift us to another 5-game win over a high-quality opponent."
Morgan added 6 blocks, and Baker finished with a team-high 19 digs to go with 4 blocks. Sophomore Kelsey Knudsen posted a career-high 8 blocks, and junior Brianne Huff tallied 16 kills. Sophomore Allison Kincheloe recorded 6 blocks and 18 digs in a strong defensive performance.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 8-0 on the season, 4-0 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, while Biola drops to 7-4 overall, 1-2 in the GSAC. The win streak is the longest to start a season since the 1980 campaign, when the Cougars won their first 12 and went on to claim the program's first NAIA Championship. A trip to Nebraska for the Hastings College Holiday Inn Classic gives the Cougars the opportunity to tie that start, with a pair of matches scheduled Friday against Morningside (Iowa) and No. 14-ranked Hastings, along with 2 more Saturday against No. 23-ranked Dordt (Iowa) and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).
