Azusa, Calif.-- Less than 48 hours after the current PacWest leader Azusa Pacific women's volleyball team came out victorious in a three set sweep over Hawai'i Hilo, the Cougars posted its thirteenth PacWest sweep Saturday afternoon with a 25-23, 25-16, 25-21 win over Hawai'i Pacific at the Felix Event Center.

With its eighth straight conference victory, Azusa Pacific improved its overall record 24-4, and 18-2 in conference play.  The Cougars also clinched at least a share of their second-consecutive PacWest volleyball title.  Winning the title outright would guarantee the team a spot in the NCAA West Region playoffs for the third year in a row.

Leading for the Cougars was Senior Julianne Miller with 12 kills (.435 hitting percentage) and five blocks, while sophomore Katarina Radisic posted 10 kills, six digs, and four blocks. Also showing strong play for Azusa Pacific was senior Sara Wagenveld with nine kills and three blocks, while freshman Annaka Jorgenson trailed right behind with eight kills, seven digs, and a solo block. 

How It Happened:
Opening up the first set, both teams rallied back and forth early on and tied the score on six different occasions before Azusa Pacific pulled away with a 7-2 run to hold a 23-21 lead. The Sharks responded with back-to-back points to tie the set at 23-23, but Azusa Pacific came out victorious at the end of the first frame, 25-23, after two errors from Hawai'i Pacific. 

Heading into the second set, the Cougars opened up with a 9-4 lead, in which two of those kills were by senior Aliyah Morrison. Azusa Pacific held the same momentum and extended its 13-8 lead into a 10-point margin at 24-14. The Sharks were never able to recover as a kill from junior Amy Hinnant (assisted by freshman Maggie Nielsen) sealed the Cougars second frame victory. 

In the final frame, once again the Cougars opened up with an early lead, as back-to-back kills from Radisic helped lead Azusa Pacific to a 4-0 lead. The Cougars never trailed for the remainder of the match, and grew a 6-3 lead into a 19-12 advantage midway through the set. Both teams exchanged points for the remainder of the match, but Azusa Pacific held on to its lead and cruised its way to a 25-21 match victory. 

What's Next:
Azusa Pacific will continue its string of PacWest Conference matches at home in the Felix Event Center on Wednesday, November 20th against Concordia at 6:00 p.m.  A win would clinch the conference title outright.