AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific took its first road trip of the abbreviated spring season Friday night, and the Cougars rallied from an opening-set defeat for a four-set win over Life Pacific in San Dimas, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15.
 
Emma Svagdis produced a career-high 13 kills in the victory, and Katarina Radisic led all hitters with 18 kills and a .333 hitting percentage along with a career-high 5 aces; Bailey Henington collected a match-high 34 digs to lead the Cougars defensively.

How It Happened: Life Pacific scored a 25-21 win in the opening set, breaking a 17-17 tie with a set-ending 8-4 run. Hannah Caddow got the run started for the Warriors with a kill and back-to-back aces as Life Pacific pulled away for the set win. The Cougars faced a 9-3 deficit at the start of the second set before scoring 9 of the next 10 points, including 4 Emma Svagdis kills, to take a 12-10 lead. Life Pacific briefly regained the lead twice in the set, but after the Warriors edged in front, 17-16, Azusa Pacific finished the set with a 9-3 run for the 25-20 win that tied the match at one set apiece.
 
The Cougars only trailed once in the third set, using a pair of 4-point bursts to build up a lead during a 25-23 victory, and Katarina Radisic had 3 consecutive kills as Azusa Pacific scored the first 5 points of the fourth set and never trailed in a 25-15 win that sealed the match victory.

Turning Point:  Emma Svagdis sparked Azusa Pacific's second-set rally after Life Pacific won the opening set and surged to a 9-3 lead in the second. Svagdis notched four kills during a 9-1 run that gave the Cougars the lead, and she was one of four different players with a kill during the 9-3 run to close out the second set.

By the Numbers:  Bailey Henington's 34-dig performance was the eighth match of her career with at least 30 digs and the first this season. Emma Svagdis produced a career-high 13 kills and added 10 digs, 1 ace, and 2 blocks to account for 15.5 points. Katarina Radisic tied her career-high in kills with 18, adding a career-high 5 aces along with 13 digs, while setters Mina Andjelkovic and Maggie Nielsen each distributed 24 assists to set up all but 6 of Azusa Pacific's 54 kills. Friday's meeting was the first-ever meeting between the schools, whose campuses sit just four miles apart.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (3-0, 1-0 PacWest Southern California pod) returns to PacWest action next week with the first of three consecutive road matches, starting with a Wednesday, March 24 visit to Point Loma, which will be followed by visits to Biola (March 31) and Concordia (April 6).