AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific's volleyball team got back into the win column Thursday night, sweeping Biola 25-22, 25-8, 25-9 in the Felix Event Center. The Cougars recognized their four seniors, Mina Andjelkovic, Bailey Henington, Abby Hills, and Cayla Broussard, and all four played key roles in the match.
How it Happened: Set one was tightly contested, with the Cougars holding a narrow lead for most of it thanks to a couple of early Biola service errors. Azusa Pacific spread the offense around during the opening set, with six different players registering at least one kill. While Biola would rally and briefly take a 21-20 lead, Azusa Pacific would respond with a 5-1 run that included a Henington ace and a combination block by Hills and Ioanna Gerogatzi to finish the opening set.
The Cougars wore down a shorthanded Eagles squad over the final two sets. Azusa Pacific opened the second set by winning nine straight points in which Kyra Palmbush provided four straight points with two kills and a pair of block assists. The Cougars would go on another 9-0 run that saw a pair of Andjelkovic aces. Katarina Radisic would finish off the second set with three straight kills.
In the third set, Radisic had five more kills en route to a game-high 13 as the Cougars took control of the set with an 11-2 run early and cruised in from there, hitting a blistering .517 without a single error and winning the final five points of the game to complete their 11th sweep of the season.
Inside the Numbers: Annaka Jorgenson was the other Cougar in double figures in kills with 10, to go along with nine digs, three aces, and two solo blocks. Andjelkovic had 16 assists and three aces of her own, giving her 51 for her Azusa Pacific career. Henington had 13 digs, giving her 2,480 for her career with one regular-season match remaining. Hills had six kills and three block assists. Broussard played all three sets and had four digs in the back row. The Cougars had 10 aces as a team in the match and hit .320 as a team.
Cornerstone Cup: With the win, the Cougars complete a season sweep of Biola and claim all 10 points from the sport towards the Cornerstone Cup. Azusa Pacific currently leads the season-long competition, 45 points to 15, with the next event being basketball on December 11.
Up Next: The Cougars (18-9, 13-6 PacWest) will close out the season Saturday night at Concordia. Game time at the CU Arena in Irvine is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: CAYLA BROUSSARD, BAILEY HENINGTON, ABBY HILLS & MINA ANDJELKOVIC
