ST. GEORGE, Utah – Not an ideal day for the Cougars.

The defending league champions posted a 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-17) victory against Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon.

Dixie State, the lone unbeaten team in the PacWest, played consistently enough throughout the get the win. As a team the home squad hit .244 led by Delayne Daniel's 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Four different players had at least four kills for the Trailblazers.

Julianne Miller had a team best seven kills for the Cougars. The freshman also posted a .538 hitting percentage. Natalie Klapp had a six-kill day. Along the backline Bailey Henington had a match high 15 digs.

In the first set Dixie State stormed out to a 9-3 lead and never looked back. Azusa Pacific pulled within three points but couldn't get their deficit any less.

Azusa Pacific looked to be in good shape at the start of the second set. They jumped out to an 11-6 edge only to see the home team score eight of the next nine points to take the lead. The Cougars retook their lead at 18-15 but the Trailblazers closed the frame on a 10-3 spurt to grab control of the match.

During the final stanza the Trailblazers scored nine of the first 13 points. Azusa Pacific responded as they pulled within a 14-13 deficit but the early deficit was too much to overcome.