SAN DIEGO – The preseason league favorite handed Azusa Pacific it first PacWest loss as Point Loma posted a 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-21) victory on Wednesday evening.

The setback also ended a seven match winning streak for Azusa Pacific.

Mattie Shelford had a team high nine kills to pace the Cougars efforts. Ally Gonzalez notched a six-kill performance.

Point Loma offense was clicking most of the evening as a team hitting percentage of .352 – the second best total for the Sea Lions this season. Heather Leavitt's 17 kills and .424 hitting mark led the way. Bethany Mandon contributed a 13-kill effort with a .550 hitting percentage. Preseason conference Player of the Year Savannanh Wedemeyer directed the offense to the tune of 39 assists.

In the opening the Sea Lions (7-5, 2-2 PacWest) were bolstered by a strong crowd as they raced out to an 8-3 lead to force the Cougars into their first timeout. After winning Azusa Pacific first point after the stoppage, the Sea Lions were able to continue their early momentum. The Cougars got their deficit down to five points on two occasions but couldn't draw any closer. Point Loma's offense was lethal in the first set as they produced a .351 hitting percentage while limiting the Cougars to a .128 mark.

Point Loma was scrambling at the start of the second set but still managed to stay within striking distance of the tightly played stanza. Tied at 13-13 the Sea Lions won consecutive points and the Cougars took a timeout. The home team continued to force the issue as they nudged ahead 18-14. However, Azusa Pacific (7-5, 3-1) applied pressure and after a Crystal Dedes service they were down just 22-20 and Point Loma called for a break in the action. Without hesitation the Cougars continued their scoring run as they tied the score at 22-22 with a Mattie Shelford kill and the Sea Lions called their final timeout. This time the Sea Lions capitalized by winning three of the final four points to taking an imposing lead.

Azusa Pacific shook-up the line-up a bit in the third set as Danika Yong and Natalie Klapp entered the match for the first time. Unfortunately, Point Loma was unfazed as they won the first seven points of the set. Down 9-2, the Cougars rallied back as they rattled off six of the next seven points to draw within 10-8. Azusa Pacific came within a single point of drawing even on three occasions but could not get that critical tally. Point Loma finished the match on an 8-5 scoring spurt.

Azusa Pacific travels to Dixie State for an 11 a.m. (PDT) match Saturday against the 2014 NCAA Championships sweet 16 participant.