AZUSA, Calif. – Using the momentum of an energetic home crowd and a resilient attitude, Azusa Pacific knocked off rival California Baptist 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25-23, 25-21) in their first PacWest match of the season.
The Cougars started fast in each set and despite dropping the first stanza for just the second time this season, Azusa Pacific won their fifth straight match to up their record to 5-4.
"I really liked our resiliency tonight. We lost a tough first set that could have gone either way but we didn't stop battling," said head coach Chris Keife. "We've talked about moving onto the next point and playing our best for that point and that point only and not dwelling on the previous points. Tonight, we did a great job of moving forward and not worrying about what happened previously.
Mattie Shelford played a fantastic final home opener. The senior recorded a match high 24 kills with a .524 hitting percentage. In addition to her strong offensive numbers, Shelford also had a match best six block assists.
Alyssa Tavera was on-point with her passes from the setter position. The freshman handed out 33 assists while tallying 10 digs for her second double-double of the season.
"Our energy has definitely been building throughout the year. We started a little slow but we have been working out the kinks and it all came together tonight," Shelford said. "I thought the passes were great tonight. The setters did a great job of putting the balls in a great spot for me to hit. A lot of credit goes to the entire team because we ran our offense really well this evening."
Despite jumping out to early four points leads in the first set, the Lancers battled back and methodically put themselves into the position to grab the frame. The final points were nip-and-tuck before California Baptist won the set on their second opportunity.
An undaunted Cougars squad jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the second set and they never let go of that lead. Azusa Pacific held the Lancers to a .000 hitting percentage in that frame while piecing together a .276 team hitting mark.
In the critical third set, Azusa Pacific once again scored the first five points but this time the Lancers had a response. As the closing moments of the stanza drew near, the Cougars held a 22-19 lead. However, California Baptist scored two straight points to force the home team into a timeout. The quick break helped the Cougars as they won three of the final five points to take control of the match.
An early lead in the fourth set gave the Cougars what they were looking forward as they ended the match in four sets. With Azusa Pacific in front 16-9, the Lancers came within three points at 21-18 but the strong home crowd and a strong attack helped clinched the league win.
The Cougars service game and front line defense were also important in the victory. Azusa Pacific had 10 services aces led by Tavera and Katy Crouse three each. The Cougars also posted a 10.0-7.0 blocking advantage. Crystal Dedes had one block solo and five block assists.
The all-time series between the two schools is now 41-40 in the Cougars advantage.
