AZUSA, Calif. -- The NAIA's No. 4-ranked Azusa Pacific registered a pair of 3-set sweeps over Corban (Ore.) College and Mayville State (N.D.) University as it opened the 2009 season Friday at the Cougar Classic.

Senior outside hitter Jill Baker provided a team-high 12 kills in each match, but she shared the spotlight with a handful of other Cougars who helped Azusa Pacific pick up right where it left off a year ago with the program's deepest NAIA Tournament run since 1991.

"We have a young lineup, but we have a good core, a young group that was here last year and got some great experience at the national tournament last year," Cougar head coach Chris Keife said. "It's a good combination, with Jill Baker setting the tone for our team and several other players doing a lot of positive things for us out there."

Sophomore libero Robin Portela anchored the defense with 20 digs and 20 error-free service receptions, while sophomore middle blocker Amy Alkazin tallied 14 kills and a team-high 7 blocks on the day. Sophomore outside hitter Marguerite Hanna tallied 18 kills and 15 digs, including 5 kills during a devastating 13-point run in the middle of the second set of the Cougars' 25-12, 25-11, 25-20 sweep over Mayville State in the afternoon contest. Sophomore setter Raechel Jones' tough jump serve resulted in a pair of aces during that same run, as Jones kept Mayville State off balance to help turn Azusa Pacific's 7-5 deficit into a commanding 18-7 advantage.

"I thought we started off with a lot of nice things today, especially with a young team," Keife said. "There was a little confusion in a few spots, but overall we did a good job working those out and it seemed like we went better as we went along."

Freshman Sophie Burns served 4 aces in the Cougars' opening sweep of Corban, then followed it up with 3 more aces in her second collegiate match. Freshman setter Breezy Funk notched 15 assists in her first crack at running an Azusa Pacific offense that converted for an attack percentage of .269 and featured 5 attackers with at least 6 kills on the day.

Azusa Pacific opens the year with back-to-back sweeps for the first time since doing it in consecutive seasons in 2005 and 2006. The Cougars are 2-0 after the opening day of the Cougar Classic for the second straight season.

"I definitely think this early in the season we're playing at a higher level than we have in years past," Keife said. "I still think there are a lot of areas we know we need to shore up, and we're still waiting for some key players to get on the court for us. With that in mind, I really feel positive about what I saw today."

This year's version of the Cougar Classic is a 13-team tournament which features 6 Golden State Athletic Conference programs. Through the opening day of the 2-day tournament, the GSAC teams are 10-3, including 3 wins in 3 matches from a San Diego Christian squad that finished last in the GSAC in 2008.

The Cougars return to action Saturday with 2 more matches, taking on Holy Names at 9 a.m. before wrapping up the Cougar Classic against Eastern Oregon in the final time slot of the 2-day tournament at 3:45 p.m.

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