ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the second day of the SpringHill Suites Invitational hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Cougars face a pair of opponents.
The three-day, five-team event will conclude on Saturday. On Thursday evening Azusa Pacific lost a hard fought four-set match to the host Seawolves.
Friday Match 1 – #5 Nebraska Kearney 3, Azusa Pacific 2 (14-25, 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11)
Azusa Pacific fought tooth-and-nail to the end but came-up short in hopes of claiming a victory over the nationally ranked Lopers.
Box Score
In the opening frame the Cougars raced out to a big lead by winning 12 of the match's first 16 points. Azusa Pacific never let the fifth ranked Lopers back into the frame. The Cougars posted a .316 hitting percentage as a team in the frame while limiting Nebraska Kearney to just a .031 mark.
Nebraska Kearney tied the set each as they jumped out to a 12-7 lead to start the stanza and force the Cougars into a timeout. The break in the action helped stem the Lopers momentum as Azusa Pacific got their deficit down to 14-11. However, the Cougars couldn't get any closer than three points as Nebraska Kearney pulled away.
The Lopers took command of the match with a convincing third set win. Nebraska Kearney took an early 8-3 edge and never let the Cougars within three points the rest of the way.
The Cougars best efforts in the fourth stanza were good enough to force a fifth and deciding set. After tightly played first half of the frame, Azusa Pacific held a seemingly comfortable 18-13 lead. Yet the Lopers went on a 10-4 scoring spurt and were just two points away from clinching the match in four sets at 23-22. However, the Cougars dug deep and won the final three points to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final set the Cougars jumped ahead 9-5 and held the momentum. However, the Lopers responded by winning 10 of the match's final 11 points to take the critical set and claim the match.
Leading the offense for the Cougars was the trio of Ashley Midland, Mattie Shelford and Katy Crouse. Each of them put down nine kills in the thrilling match.
Kristina Kam had a match high 24 digs to lead the back line effort. Ashley Swatek (17) and Crouse (14) chipped in double figure dig performances.
Friday Match 2 – Cal Poly Pomona 3, Azusa Pacific 2 (21-25, 24-26, 25-20, 28-26, 15-8)
The Broncos came back from a 0-2 hole and held off a pair of match points to claim the victory.
In a closely played contest the Cougars won the critical points in grabbing the opening set triumph. During the opening set Azusa Pacific took a 9-8 lead by winning seven straight points. The Broncos were able to get their down to 21-19 but the Cougars wouldn't buckle as they won four of the final six points.
Box Score
The ensuing second set couldn't have been played in a more close knit fashion than it was. Neither team held a lead larger than two points at any point during the back-and-forth stanza that saw six lead changes. At 23-23, Crystal Dedes converted a kill to give the Cougars their first set point. After Cal Poly Pomona won the next point to knot it back up again (24-24), Dedes threw down another kill. An attack error by the Broncos on the next point sealed the 2-0 lead in the match for Azusa Pacific.
Cal Poly Pomona didn't go down weakly in the third set. Similarly to the previous set, the teams went back-and-forth through the first half of the frame. With Azusa Pacific holding a tenuous 14-13 lead, the Broncos took the lead for good as the score four of the next five points. Azusa Pacific tried to rally back but couldn't get their deficit beneath two points as the match headed to the fourth set.
The narrowly played match continued its theme in the fourth set as the see-saw affair came down to tight finish in the fourth set. Despite trailing late 22-19, the Cougars rallied to tie the frame at 23-23. Cal Poly Pomona had the first set point at 24-23 but a Mattie Shelford kill knotted the score at 24-24. The senior then gave the Cougars a match point at 25-24 but the Broncos staved off elimination. Cal Poly Pomona fought off another match point at 26-25 then won the set on a service ace with the ensuing point.
Cal Poly Pomona continued their momentum into the decisive set. The critical scoring run came early in the frame when the Broncos stretched a 5-4 lead into 9-5. Azusa Pacific was able to bring down their deficit to 11-8 but couldn't bridge the gap as they fell in heart breaking fashion.
Ashley Midland put together a fine match for the Cougars with a 19-kill, four-block match. The middle blocker also hit a team high .410. Shelford had 11 kills.
Jewels Tavera put together her first collegiate double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs.
Cal Poly Pomona put four players in double figure kills led by Hannah Harrer's 13-kill night.
