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Azusa Pacific volleyball players huddle during a timeout in a five-set defeat to Cal Poly Pomona at the 2018 NCAA Division II Volleyball West Regional hosted by Western Washington in Bellingham, Wash., on Nov. 15, 2018
2
Azusa Pacific APU 24-7
3
Winner Cal Poly Pomona CPP 24-4
Azusa Pacific APU
24-7
2
Final
3
Cal Poly Pomona CPP
24-4
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Azusa Pacific APU 25 24 25 28 16 (2)
Cal Poly Pomona CPP 22 26 19 30 18 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Corey Langerveld

Volleyball Season Comes To An End

Azusa Pacific fell in five sets to #17 Cal Poly Pomona in the first round of the NCAA West Regional

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The 2018 season came to an end for the Azusa Pacific volleyball team, as it fell in five sets (22-25, 26-24, 19-25, 30-28, 18-16) to #17-ranked Cal Poly Pomona in the first round of the NCAA West Regional.

Five Cougars recorded double-digit kills, including a trio of players who finished with 15. Senior Natalie Klapp, freshman Katarina Radisic, and junior Aliyah Morrison each had 15 kills, while junior Julianne Miller finished with 11 kills and sophomore Amy Hinnant added 12 kills. Miller posted the highest hitting percentage of the match for the Cougars, posting a .478 hitting percentage on 23 attempts. Senior Kaylen Higa had a team-high 28 assists, with freshman Chase Davis also contributing 25 assists. Defensively for Azusa Pacific, junior Sara Wagenveld had a match-high 11 blocks, and sophomore Sophia Newhouse finished the match with 26 digs.
 
Azusa Pacific opened the match with a first set victory, 25-22. Cal Poly Pomona jumped out to a quick lead, as it held a 7-2 advantage. However, the Cougars were able to battle back and tie the score at 7-7, with neither team taking a lead larger than three points in the rest of the set. Radisic secured a 1-0 match lead with a kill on set point.
 
In the second set, Cal Poly Pomona jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. Azusa Pacific responded with a pair of kills by Miller and a service ace by Radisic to halt early momentum, trimming the lead to 4-3. Late in the set, with the Cougars holding set point at 24-21, Cal Poly Pomona took the next five points to even the match at 1-1.
 
While Cal Poly Pomona took the first point of the third set, the Cougars took the next three points and did not trail for the rest of the set. The Broncos got the lead down to 14-13 when Azusa Pacific took the next three points and 17-13 lead. The Cougars were able to maintain a three point cushion for the rest of the set, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
In the fourth set, Azusa Pacific looked to be taking control of the match, as it surged ahead to an 11-4 lead. Cal Poly Pomona was able to battle back, eventually taking a 16-15 lead. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the match, with neither able to separate from the other. However, for the second time in the match, Azusa Pacific had the Broncos at set point, as well as match point. With a 27-26 Azusa Pacific advantage, Cal Poly Pomona took four out of the next five points to take the set and force a fifth and final set.
 
The fifth set opened with a 4-1 Cal Poly Pomona lead, when Azusa Pacific took the next three points off of back-to-back attack errors from the Broncos, as well as a kill by Hinnant. Over the course of the final set, the two teams shared the lead 10 different times. However, for the third time in the match, Azusa Pacific had the Broncos on the ropes at match point with a 16-15. Cal Poly Pomona closed out the match by taking three straight points, and have advanced through to the second round of the NCAA West Regional.
 
Despite the loss, the 2018 season will be commemorated in Azusa Pacific's history as the first conference championship team in program history. The Cougars returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and finished the season with a 24-7 overall record.

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