SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – The Cougar volleyball team remained unbeaten on the season with a hard-fought straight-set victory at Point Loma Wednesday evening at Golden Gymnasium.  Katarina Radisic and Annaka Jorgenson each had eight kills to lead the Cougars offensively.

How It Happened: Point Loma had a small lead for the majority of the first set, including a 6-1 run to take a 16-12 lead, and they still held a 20-16 advantage late in the set.  But a block by Kaitlin Craig and Kyra Palmbush kickstarted an 8-2 run highlighted by a Radisic ace that allowed the Cougars to pull out the opening frame by a 25-23 score.  The second set remained close throughout, with neither side leading by more than two points at any time until the very end.  Near the end of the second set, Point Loma had just taken a 22-21 lead.  Jorgenson got a kill to tie the set, which brought setter Mina Andjelkovic to the service position.  The senior served up two aces in the next three points, sandwiching another tandem block by Craig and Palmbush as the Cougars took the second set 25-22. 

Turning Point: The third set again followed a similar format, with the Sea Lions running off a pair of four-point runs during the set and leading 19-16 before yet another Cougar run to pull away for good.  Amy Hinnant had a pair of block assists during this streak, while Abby Hills had a kill, a block assist, and the Cougars' seventh ace of the evening, to lead to Emma Svagdis finishing the match off with her fifth kill.

By the Numbers: Eight different Cougars had a kill in the match.  Azusa Pacific held Point Loma to a .127 hitting percentage for the match, aided by eight blocks.  Craig and Palmbush each had four block assists to lead the front row.  Libero Bailey Hennington had a team-high 15 digs. Andjelkovic had 18 assists and three aces.  As a team, the Cougars have 29 aces in just 16 sets played this season.  This win avenged one of the Cougars' two defeats from PacWest play last season.  Point Loma had swept the Cougars on their most recent visit to San Diego in October of 2019.

Up Next: The Cougars (4-0, 2-0 PacWest SoCal Pod) have added a non-conference game against Division III opponent Redlands this Friday.  Game time in the Felix Event Center is scheduled for 12:00 noon.