AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougars could not have asked for a better finish to the season.
Azusa Pacific closed out the 2016 season with a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-20) victory against California Baptist on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory the Cougars closed the campaign on a six match winning streak as they complete the year with a 16-13 overall mark and a 12-8 record in league match. California Baptist, which has secured the PacWest's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, closes the regular season at 20-8 and 15-5 respectively.
Prior to the triumph the Cougars honored seniors Ashley Midland and Ally Gonzalez. Both players played key roles in the win as Midland scored four points (3 kills, 2 block assists) while Gonzalez had seven kills and two block assists.
Post Game Comments from seniors Ashley Midland and Ally Gonzalez
Leading the offense was Aliyah Morrison's 12 kills and .346 hitting percentage. The redshirt-freshman also had two block solos and two block assists.
Directing the offense was the tandem of Shaylah Kagehiro (19 assists) and Alyssa Tavera (12).
The Cougars started to get separation in the first set early on. Tied at 7-7, the Cougars went on a 6-1 scoring spurt to prompt a timeout from California Baptist. The visitors took their 13-8 deficit and responded by tying the frame at 16-16. The teams swapped points until back-to-back kills gave the home team a 24-21 edge. On the next point the Lancers hit an attack wide to give the set to Azusa Pacific.
The thriller between the rivals continued with a roller coaster second set. While there were only two lead changes the set was tied on seven separate occasions. The Cougars looked to be in good position with a 14-8 lead. However, the Lancers responded to tie the frame at 15-15. From that point forward neither team had two-point lead until the late stages. With Azusa Pacific leading 22-20, California Baptist rallied and had a set-point at 24-23. The feisty Cougars won the final three points. Highlighting the scoring spree was a kill by Morrison then a forceful block solo by her. The home team secured the two-set lead after a Lancer attack error.
In the third set both teams had their opportunities to win the frame but the home team would not be denied. Azusa Pacific jumped out to leads of 12-8 and 16-13 but the Lancers kept the home team from pulling away. California Baptist took a 19-18 edge but another late rally by the Cougars proved to be the difference. Azusa Pacific finished the match with six straight points exclaimed by a Miller kill.
Azusa Pacific's win evens the all-time series between the two schools at 43 wins each.
