AZUSA, Calif. – The final moments of each set belonged to Azusa Pacific.

The Cougars were strong down the stretch in each frame as they posted a straight set (25-19, 25-16, 25-20) win against Academy of Art.

Azusa Pacific posted one of their best hitting performances of the season as they posted a .260 hitting percentage. Leading the way was Ally Gonzalez, who had 16-kills and a .467 hitting mark. Julianne Miller was just behind her with a 10-kill, .500-hitting percentage effort. The duo of Natalie Klapp and Madison Ogas contributed eight and seven kills respectively.

The back lines were paced by the efforts of Bailey Henington who had a match high 23 digs.

In the opening set Academy of Art nudged in front of tightly played stanza 17-15. From that point forward the set belonged to the home team. Azusa Pacific (11-13, 7-8 PacWest) proceeded to score eight unanswered points to take control of the frame and eventually cruised to the match's lead.

During the early stages of the second stanza, the Cougars kept their lead steady and two or three points. After the visitors cut their deficit to one point (13-12), Azusa Pacific went on a critical run to take a 22-13 edge that was more than enough to secure a two-set lead in the contest. The Cougars never trailed in that frame.

Azusa Pacific looked strong early in the third set as they raced out to an 8-4 lead. However, the Urban Knights (6-16, 4-9) rallied and eventually took a three-point (18-15) advantage. The resilient Cougars won 10 of the final 12 points; five of which came from Gonzalez's kills.