Box Score SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Two-and-a-half weeks of sitting on their collective hands resulted in a some early signs of rust, but the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific worked through the self-imposed challenges to beat Dordt College (Iowa), 25-23, 25-22, 25-14, in the opening match of pool play at the 25th Annual NAIA Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament, Tuesday afternoon.
The Cougars, who haven't played a match since clinching an NAIA Tournament automatic berth following their regular-season finale victory over Vanguard University on Nov. 14, relied on steady serving and a stellar defense to keep a pesky Dordt squad at bay.
"We really served well, and serving and blocking go hand-in-hand," said sixth-year Azusa Pacific head coach Chris Keife. "If we serve well we can knock a team out of its offensive set. Then we know where the ball is going and it becomes easier to set up blocks."
Azusa Pacific scored 12 points off blocks and tallied another 41 from kills. All-American junior Jill Baker, Azusa Pacific's all-time kills leader, registered a match-high 14 kills and had a hand in 4 blocks.
"Jill started off a little slow with just 4 kills and 3 errors in that first set," added Keife, "but we weren't giving her opportunities for good swings either. After the first set though, she came on and did very well."
On the strength of sophomore Chelsea Daley, who tallied 4 of her 10 kills in the opening minutes of play, Azusa Pacific rolled out to a 16-10 lead to start the match. However, Dordt took advantage of some sloppy Cougar play and rallied to tie the score at 23-23 following 3 straight Cougar attack errors. Out of an Azusa Pacific timeout, Dordt snapped its own 5-point scoring string on an Amber Weingarnter service error. Cougar freshman Amy Alkazin followed with the team's first ace of the match to seal the first-set victory.
"I was getting a little nervous as our 5-point lead began to dwindle," said Keife. "That first-set victory in the opening match of the national championship tournament is very important to have. We needed to get that win just for mental reasons, given the fact that we've been off for so long."
In the second set, Azusa Pacific used a 6-2 run to break away from a 13-13 tie and then relied on a Daley kill to keep Dordt from knotting the score at 20. Now with a 2-point advantage, the Cougars followed with Alkazin and Baker kills, and the Tigers obliged with an attack error and another service error to allow Azusa Pacific to escape with a 25-22 victory and 2-0 set lead.
In the third set, 3 Baker kills sparked an 11-0 Azusa Pacific run and 5 straight Cougar points to close the set, including a match-clinching Kelsey Knudsen kill, wrapped up Azusa Pacific's 3-set sweep.
"Overall, we played well," said Keife. "We passed well and our serving was very good today. It's nice to get this win against a quality opponent. It should help us settle in for the rest of the tournament, and it will certainly allow us to enjoy dinner tonight."
Though Azusa Pacific is making its third NAIA Tournament appearance in 4 years, 5 different Cougar freshmen got their first-ever taste of national championship tournament play. Rookie Ariel Beetstra responded by having a hand in 7 blocks, and Alkazin tallied 7 kills to go along with 2 aces.
"For having never been to a tourney of this caliber, our freshman played very well," said Keife. "We relied on them at different points through the match and they responded. It reminded me of our current seniors who 4 years ago played a lot as freshmen in the NAIA Tournament."
With the victory Azusa Pacific improves to 23-10 on the season while Dordt falls to 32-8. The Cougars continue pool play Wednesday (Dec. 3) with a match against the University of Mobile (Ala.) at 1:15 p.m. (CST).
