Box Score AZUSA, Calif. – One of the most epic matches of the season was saved until the final opportunity.
In the final contest of the year for both teams, Point Loma pulled out a 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 16-14) win over Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon.
The 91st all-time meeting between the two schools is sure to go down in the history books and stay in the memory banks for all those who were attendance.
"It was a hard fought match were both teams gave maximum effort throughout," said head coach Chris Keife. "There were numerous critical points during the match and Point Loma came out on top just enough. I'm proud of the way we fought today and how we continued to battle until the season's last match."
Four Cougars were playing in their final match as Hayley Beetstra, Cori Esparza, Tristan Racich and Alicia Utke concluded their playing careers at Azusa Pacific.
"It's tough to go out with a loss but these four ladies meant a lot to the program over the years," Keife said. "It was a pleasure to coach them and watch them mature both as a player and as a person."
Saturday's match had a total of 214 points. Each team won exactly 107. There were 10 lead changes and 29 ties in the match.
The opening stanza was a tightknit affair as neither team held a lead larger than two points. The Cougars got the most important of the set. With the score knotted at 22-22, Mattie Shelford got her fifth kill of the set then Point Loma committed an attack error to give the home team a set point. The Cougars wasted little time in clinching the set as another Shelford kill on their first set point gave the home team a 1-0 lead.
After falling 7-5 the Cougars jumped in front by scoring seven of the next 10 points to grab a 12-10 edge. However, Point Loma responded with a scoring spurt of their own as they retook the lead 20-14. The Sea Lions were able to keep Azusa Pacific at arm's length as they tied the match at a set each.
Despite the setback, the Cougars jumped out to an 11-6 lead and forced Point Loma to use both its timeouts. The Sea Lions were able to regroup as they eventually tied the score at 16-16. Undaunted, the Cougars used the energy from the home crowd to pull away and take the set 25-20.
In the fourth set the Sea Lions were in control most the time but a late charge by the home squad made things very interesting. Down 23-20, the Cougar fought their way back and got within one point at 24-23. However, the Sea Lions got a kill from Alyssa Dwyer on their first set point to clinch the frame 25-23 and sent the match to the deciding set.
The Sea Lions raced out to an 8-4 lead at the halfway point in the fifth set but Azusa Pacific would not go down quietly. Using a 9-5 scoring spurt the Cougars tied the frame at 13-13. A Heather Leavitt kill gave the Sea Lions their first match point but a service error by Dwyer tied the set again at 14-14. Leavitt got another kill to make it 15-14 then Point Loma clinched the match on a Savannah Wedemeyer service ace.
Shelford recorded a Cougar best 19 kills while Beetstra chipped-in 10 in her final match. Along the back row Kristina Kam had a 30-dig match. Racich recorded a 16-assist, 11-dig effort to record her sixth double-double of her Azusa Pacific career.
Leavitt led all players with 20 kills while digging up a team high 28 balls.
