SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- The NAIA's No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific shook off a pair of narrow defeats in the second and third set, rallying for a 5-set road win over The Master's College Saturday evening, 25-15, 23-25, 24-26, 25-13, 15-11.

Senior outside hitter Jill Baker led all attackers with a match-high 17 kills with 19 digs, and sophomore outside hitter Marguerite Hanna registered 7 of her 14 kills in the final 2 sets to help lead the Cougars to the victory. Sophomore middle blocker Amy Alkazin posted 5 kills and a career-high 9 blocks.

Hanna's first kill of the match, midway through the opening set, was the starting point of a 15-7 run that gave the Cougars a 25-15 opening-set win. In the 3 sets Azusa Pacific won, Hanna notched 10 kills, including 5 in the Cougars' 25-13 fourth-set victory that evened the match at 2 sets apiece.

In the final set, The Master's took an 11-10lead on a Caitlyn Ramirez kill, but Azusa Pacific reeled off 5 straight points to bring a swift end to the Mustangs' upset hopes. A service error tied the set at 11-11, and Baker's final kill of the match gave the Cougars the lead for good at 12-11. Alkazin was in on back-to-back blocks to set up match point, and a Ramirez attack error accounted for the final point.

For the fifth straight match, the Cougars committed at least 8 service errors, and the 9 points it surrendered on Mustang service aces was a season-high. Sophomore libero Robin Portela notched a season-high 22 digs, her fourth 20-dig effort of the season, and sophomore middle blocker Ariel Beetstra tallied 5 blocks in the victory. Sophomore right side hitter Whittany Radcliffe contributed 7 kills and 4 blocks, and sophomore right side hitter Krista Brenner added 8 kills and a pair of blocks.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 21-8 overall and 12-5 in Golden State Athletic Conference play heading into the final week of the regular season. The Cougars visit Hope International on Tuesday, November 10 before hosting Biola and Concordia on Wednesday (Nov. 11) and Saturday (Nov. 14) to close out the conference schedule.