HONOLULU -- For only the fourth time this season, Azusa Pacific was taken to a fifth set, but the Cougars pulled away in the end for a 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 15-7) win over Hawai'i Pacific Friday night.
 
Junior middle blocker Julianne Miller led Azusa Pacific by recording 17 kills without an error, posting a .436 hitting percentage. Three other Cougars also had double digit kills in the match, as junior middle blocker Sara Wagenveld finished with 15, freshman outside hitter Katarina Radisic had 12, and senior outside hitter Natalie Klapp contributed 10. Freshman setter Chase Davis led the Cougars with 29 assists, while senior Kaylen Higa added 23 assists.

Defensively, Miller and sophomore right side hitter Amy Hinnant shared a team-high seven blocks each, while junior right side Aliyah Morrison and Wagenveld had six blocks each. Sophomore libero Sophia Newhouse had 24 digs for Azusa Pacific, with Klapp recording 20 digs in the match.
 
After dropping the opening set, 25-22, Azusa Pacific tied up the match after turning a 21-21 tie in the second set into a 25-22 win by scoring four of the final five points. In the run to close out the set, Radisic had three kills, including the set point that brought the match to a 1-1 tie.
 
In the third set, Azusa Pacific turned a 15-13 deficit around with five consecutive points, registering kills from four different players (Hinnant, Miller, Wagenveld, Radisic) as well as a service ace by Wagenveld to take an 18-15 lead. The Cougars did not trail again in the set, and it ended in a familiar fashion with a Radisic set-point kill for another 25-22 win along with a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
With the Cougars seeking to finish of the match in four, Hawai'i Pacific battled to force a fifth set. Azusa Pacific held a slim lead at 20-19, but the Sharks grabbed the momentum by scoring six in a row on three service aces by Cara McClean, a kill by Carson Pyle, and an attack error from the Cougars. HPU's 25-20 set victory evened the match at two sets apiece.

In the fifth set, Hawai'i Pacific scored the first two points, but Azusa Pacific was quick to answer with six consecutive points to take a 6-2 lead in the race to 15. The Cougars never lost the momentum, surrendering just four more points the rest of the way. Miller put the finishing touch on the match, as she recorded two consecutive kills to seal the victory.
 
Azusa Pacific improves to 21-6 overall and maintains the PacWest lead with a 17-2 conference record. The Cougars close out the three-match Hawai'i road trip at Chaminade on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Cougars wrap up the regular season with two matches next weekend, hosting Dominican (Nov. 9) and Notre Dame de Namur (Nov. 10).