ELLENSBURG, Wash. – UC San Diego enacted a bit of revenge as they handed the Azusa Pacific women's volleyball squad their first loss of 2017.
After the Cougars swept a match last week from the Tritons, UC San Diego posted a 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 27-25) win on Friday morning at the West Region Showcase hosted by Central Washington.
SET BY SET
The Tritons set a strong tone in the opening points of the first set as they jumped out to an 8-4 lead. Azusa Pacific pulled within 10-9 but couldn't erase their deficit as UC San Diego stay in a comfortable spot. During the second stanza the Cougars were dominate as they posted a .320 hitting percentage and never trailed in tying the match at a set apiece.
In the third frame, Azusa Pacific struggled on the attack as they had 10 errors on their 44 attempts. UC San Diego, while not effective offensive, took advantage. They quickly built a five-point lead (9-4) and fought off a brief Cougar rally midway through the set to take a commanding edge in the match.
As the fourth set unfolded, it looked as if the contest was destined to go five sets. Azusa Pacific held an 18-13 lead only to see the Tritons go on an 11-4 scoring spurt to gain a pair of match points. The Cougars responded with three straight points to get a set point. However, UC San Diego won the final three points of the match in securing the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Cougars hit .129 as a team which is the lowest number of the young season
- With 10 team blocks, Azusa Pacific has now posted three straight matches of exactly 10
- Azusa Pacific had a 75-68 dig advantage. The Cougars have not been out dug yet in 2017
ALL-TIME VS. UC SAN DIEGO
After splitting their two matches this season, UC San Diego leads the all-time series 10-12. They have met just three times as NCAA Division II institutions with the Tritons winning twice.
WEST REGION SHOWCASE
This was the second of four matches at Central Washington for the Cougars. Later today they play Concordia-Portland (5:30 p.m.) before wrapping up Saturday against Stanislaus State (3:00 p.m.). Azusa Pacific has never lost to either school.
