LA MIRADA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific dropped its first game of the season, losing 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-17) at Biola on Wednesday evening. Annaka Jorgenson had a team-high eight kills, followed by Kyra Palmbush who had six. Palmbush posted a .556 hitting percentage (6-for-9). Mina Andjelkovic and Maggie Nielsen combined for 23 assists, with Andjelkovic tallying 12 and Nielsen finishing with 11. Defensively, Kaitlin Craig and Abby Hills and two total blocks, while Bailey Henington had nine digs. 

How it Happened: Following an early 2-1 lead for the Cougars in the first set, Biola grabbed the upper hand and led by three or more points for much of the opening frame. Down 21-15, Azusa Pacific showed some late life, rattling off five straight points to pull within one at 21-20. After the Eagles responded with back-to-back points to make it 23-20, the Cougars scored two unanswered points of their own to get back within a point at 23-22. The two sides then traded points, with Biola ultimately scoring the 25th point to take the 1-0 match lead.

The first set turned out to be the most competitive stretch of the night, as the Eagles maintained control for most of the second and third sets. In the second, the score was tied at 9-9 when Biola jumped ahead with five unanswered points to make it 14-9. From that point on, the Cougars were unable to cut the deficit to anything less than three, and the Eagles took the set with relative ease.

In the third and final set, Biola already held an 11-9 advantage when the hosts scored four straight points to stretch it out to 15-9. Azusa Pacific was unable to threaten or get back into the set from that point on, as the Eagles took a lead as large as 10 (23-13) and closed the match out down the stretch.

By the Numbers: The story of the match was the Cougars' offensive struggles, with Azusa Pacific finishing with a hitting percentage of just .106 (27-for-85), compared to .303 (41-for-89) for the Eagles. In the service game, Biola had 10 service aces over three sets, while the Cougars had two.