IRVINE, Calif. -- The first two days of Azusa Pacific's 2018 volleyball season were a mirror image, as the Cougars split a pair of three-set matches on the opening day of the Concordia Invitational in Irvine before splitting five-set matches Saturday to emerge from the weekend with a 2-2 record to start the year.
After dropping the opening match in three sets to Cal Poly Pomona, Azusa Pacific defeated American International (Mass.) and Colorado Mesa in its next two matchups. The Cougars were edged in five sets by Cal State L.A. to close out the weekend.
WEEKEND STAT LEADERS
Preseason PacWest Player of the Year Julianne Miller led the Cougars in kills with 46 on the weekend, averaging nearly three kills per set, and she posted a highly efficient attack percentage at .470. Sara Wagenveld and freshman outside hitter Katerina Radisic also averaged over two kills a set, while Miller, Wagenveld, and Aaliyah Morrison all registered double-digit blocks for the weekend.
MATCH SUMMARIES & STANDOUTS
L, Cal Poly Pomona (25-12, 25-21, 25-16)
Cal Poly Pomona raced out to a 10-1 lead in the opening set and cruised to a 25-12 win behind four opening-set aces. The Cougars scored four of the first five points in set two, but the Broncos compiled a 10-2 run to regain the lead. Azusa Pacific pulled within a point twice (18-17 and 19-18) before Cal Poly Pomona scored six of the final nine points to claim the set. Another big Cal Poly Pomona run (11-2) in the middle of the third set gave the Broncos a double-digit lead and an eventual 25-16 win to close out the match.
Radisic recorded a team-high 11 kills with just one error to produce an attack percentage of .588 in her first collegiate action. She also notched nine digs and served the Cougars' lone ace of the match. Sophomore libero Sophia Newhouse finished with a match-high 10 digs.
W, American International (25-20, 26-24, 25-18)
After spotting American International the first five points of the opening set, the Cougars scored eight in a row in the middle of the set to take the lead for good in an eventual 25-20 win. Facing another five-point deficit, 18-13, in the second set, Azusa Pacific used an 11-3 scoring run which included three Wagenveld kills, two Miller kills, and consecutive aces from Natalie Klapp to post the come-from-behind 26-24 win. The Cougars never trailed in the third set, leading by as many as eight points in the 25-18 victory.
Miller and Wagenveld each collected four blocks and finished in double figures in kills, with Miller tallying a match-high 13 kills while Wagenveld notched 10. Morrison added seven kills without an attack error, and Klapp recorded three aces and seven digs. Newhouse tied for the match-high in digs with 15.
W, Colorado Mesa (25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 17-15)
Azusa Pacific led for significant portions of the first four sets of the match, but the Cougars rallied from three points down (10-7) late in the fifth set to emerge with the five-set win over Colorado Mesa. Wagenveld and Amy Hinnant helped start the rally with one of four blocks for Azusa Pacific down the stretch to complete the comeback victory.
Miller had match-highs in both kills (16) and blocks (7), while Wagenveld and Morrison tallied six blocks each. Newhouse recorded a team-high 15 digs, while Klapp finished with 13 kills, 14 digs, two aces, and two blocks. Setters Kaylen Higa and Chase Davis combined for 48 assists and 16 digs, while Hinnant finished with four blocks.
L, Cal State L.A. (23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-12)
After claiming the first two sets, Azusa Pacific was tied in the middle of the third set, 13-13, before Cal State L.A. used a 12-6 run to stay alive with a 25-19 third-set win. The Golden Eagles led wire-to-wire in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth set to close out the weekend for both teams. The Cougars led early, thanks to a pair of early Radisic kills that made it 3-1, and a Wagenveld solo block made it 5-3. However, Cal State L.A. responded with a 10-3 run to take the lead at 13-8. Azusa Pacific scored three straight points to pull within two, 13-11, but Alejandra Negron answered with a match-point kill to finish off a 15-12 win.
Three Cougars finished in double figures in kills, with Radisic posting team-highs of 14 kills and 13 digs. Miller added 13 kills and eight blocks, with Wagenveld notching 10 kills and five blocks. Klapp, Newhouse, and Davis registered nine digs each, and Morrison contributed seven kills along with five blocks.
UP NEXT
Azusa Pacific hosts the top pod of the D2 West Region Showcase, which features the top two returning finishers from each of the three Division II conferences in the West Region (Pacific West Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association, and Great Northwest Athletic Conference). Five of the six teams in the three-day, 12-match tournament were NCAA playoff teams last year, including West Region champion and national quarterfinalist Cal State San Bernardino. Azusa Pacific hosts CSUSB in the final match of the event, following Thursday matchups against Sonoma State and Western Washington along with a Saturday clash against Northwest Nazarene.
