HONOLULU, Hawai'i -- Monday night marked the start of a week for Azusa Pacific in which the Cougars will play six matches over seven days in the islands, and the first opponent on the schedule was No. 25 Chaminade. After four sets, the Silverswords emerged with a 3-1 win.

For the Cougars, Katarina Radisic finished with 12 kills, Maggie Nielsen totaled 19 assists, Annaka Jorgenson had two service aces, Bailey Henington picked up 21 digs, and Kyra Palmbush and Kaitlin Craig each tallied five block assists. 

How it Happened: In the first set, Chaminade worked its way out to a 9-4 lead, and maintained the advantage to the eventual tally of 13-9. Facing a raucous crowd that was feeding off the momentum that the Silverwords had grabbed, Azusa Pacific responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 13-13. Both sides would exchange points over the next few minutes of action, eventually sitting at a 20-20 tie. Chaminade looked like it might shut the door on the set after the hosts went up 22-20, but once again, the Cougars overcame the hostile environment to squelch the Silverswords' momentum. After a Jorgenson kill trimmed the deficit down to just one at 22-21, Selena Balderas subbed into the match and served up four consecutive points for the Cougars, lifting Azusa Pacific to a 25-21 set one win and the early 1-0 match lead.

The momentum would not remain on the Cougars' side of the net for long, as Chaminade jumped ahead 6-1 early in the second set. From that point on, Azusa Pacific's lowest deficit came at 15-18, however, the Silverswords were able to maintain a lead of six or seven points for most of the second frame, and the home team tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 set victory.

Azusa Pacific was up 6-5 in the third set, but a 6-0 run by Chaminade would make the score 11-6 and put the Cougars behind for good. The Cougars were unable to draw any closer than three points, and Chaminade took a 2-1 match lead behind a 25-21 win in the third set.

With the two sides knotted at six all, the Silverswords claimed seven of the next eight points to grab a commanding 13-7 advantage. The Cougars were able to trim the margin down to three at 13-10, but the Silverswords put together another run, this time scoring eight of nine points to claim a 21-11 lead. Chaminade secured the match victory on a 25-15 fourth set victory.

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific finished with its second lowest team hitting percentage of the season (.093), and Chaminade finished with a total of 17 blocks at the net, which is the most by a Cougar opponent in a single match this season. The Silverswords posted a dominant advantage in digs, collecting 90 over the four sets, while the Cougars finished with 64. Prior to tonight's contest, Azusa Pacific had won the last eight meetings between the two programs, with the Silverswords last victory occurring in 2015. Despite the loss, the Cougars still sit atop the PacWest standings, with Chaminade and Biola sitting in second.