SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Sixth-seed Azusa Pacific defeated third-seed Cal State Los Angeles 3-0 in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division II West Regional, as the Cougars claimed their first ever NCAA Tournament victory in program history. Azusa Pacific won three straight sets 25-23, 25-21, and 25-15.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle to start off the match. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but the Cougars would respond by taking four of the next five points to a 4-3 lead. There were continuous momentum swings over the next few minutes, with the two sides tying things up at 19-19. Azusa Pacific took the next three points to grab a 22-19 lead, but Cal State L.A. fought back to bring its deficit down to 23-22.
Sara Wagenveld recorded a kill to make it 24-22, but following an attack error from the Cougars, the score was 24-23. Azusa Pacific was able to grab a 1-0 match lead by way of an
Amy Hinnant kill to end the set 25-23.
Looking to get back into the match, Cal State L.A. took a 12-9 lead in the second set. However, the Cougars claimed the next five points via three attack errors by the Golden Eagles and a pair of kills by Wagenveld to take a 14-12 advantage. Following the 5-0 run, the Cougars would not trail again in the set, ultimately taking the 2-0 match lead with a 25-21 set win.
What turned out to be the third and final set of the match began in competitive fashion. Following the first 19 points scored in the set, Azusa Pacific was up 10-9. The Cougars would take control of the set from that point on, as they went on a 15-6 run to close out the match and claim the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Azusa Pacific was dominate on the net all match long, as the Cougars posted a 12-4 block advtange. Four Cougars had four or more total blocks in the contest, led by six block assists from
Julianne Miller. "It (blocks) is frustrating for opposing hitters," said head coach
Chris Keife, "we have height, athleticism and experience."
Azusa Pacific was led by 10 kills from
Katarina Radisic, 15 assists from
Maggie Nielsen, 15 digs from
Bailey Henington, Miler's six blocks, and three service aces by
Mina Andjelkovic.
Azusa Pacific's victory is the first NCAA Tournament win for the program. The Cougars have reached the tournament three consecutive years, however, they lost in the first round in both 2017 and 2018 in five sets.
The Cougars are now advancing on to the second round of the West Regional. Azusa Pacific will now face the second-seed Western Washington, who defeated PacWest member and seventh-seed Hawai'i Hilo in their first round matchup. Western Washington enters the match as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, as the Vikings are 27-2 overall. The match is set for Friday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 pm in San Bernardino, Calif.
AZUSA PACIFIC POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
CAL STATE LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE:
