AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific has extended its winning streak to six matches, following a straight set sweep of the visiting Fresno Pacific Sunbirds on Saturday afternoon in the Felix Event Center. The Cougars improved to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in PacWest conference play.
Annaka Jorgenson and Maggie Nielsen turned in strong performances to help lead the Cougars to victory, with Jorgenson tallying 18 kills, a .385 hitting percentage over 39 attempts, and five block assists, while Nielsen finished with 30 assists without an error. Joining Jorgenson in double-digits kills was Katarina Radisic (12) and Kyra Palmbush (10). Defensively, Palmbush finished with six total blocks, including two solo, which led Azusa Pacific's team total of 11.
How It Happened: The Cougars won the first two sets with relative ease (25-9, 25-15), due in large part to an efficient and rather error-free offensive effort. In the first set, Azusa Pacific posted a team hitting percentage of .444 with 18 kills on 36 attempts and just two errors. While the percentage dipped some in the second set (.371), the Cougars still had 19 kills on 35 attempts with just six errors.
In the first set, the Cougars had runs of three or more unanswered points on four occasions, including a 9-0 run that grew a 14-7 lead into a 23-7 advantage. The 9-0 streak was part of a larger 12-1 stretch that started when the Cougars were up 11-6. Of the Cougars' 18 first set kills, Jorgenson, Abby Hills, and Kaitlin Craig combined for 12 on 17 attempts, with none of three committing an error.
The second set opened with the Cougars a lead of 12-5, but the Sunbirds would fight back to draw within two at 14-12. Azusa Pacific would win the next seven points to go up by a 21-12 margin, and Fresno Pacific trailed by eight or more for the remainder of the set. In the second frame, Jorgenson racked up nine kills on just 13 attempts.
The eventual final set of the match was the most competitive, with Fresno Pacific taking its first lead of the afternoon at 8-7. The Sunbirds would lead on two other occasions as well in the third, at 9-8 and 10-9. A Radisic kill would make it 10-10, and the Cougars would not trail again in the set. The margin would not grow larger than three over the remainder of the contest, and there were four moments in which the set was tied. The Sunbirds would hang tough and ultimately tie things at 23-23, but a kill from Mina Andjelkovic gave the Cougars match point, and a block by Delaney Dunham and Jorgenson finished the Sunbirds off at 25-23.
By the Numbers: Offensively, the Cougars closed the match out with a hitting percentage of .331 (52 kills/118 attempts/13 errors). In the service game, Azusa Pacific had four aces, led by two from Andjelkovic. At the net, the Cougars finished with 17 block assists, which is the most the team has had to this point. For the fourth time this season, there was no ball handling error committed by Azusa Pacific.
Up Next: Next week, the Cougars will play a pair of PacWest opponents at home. On Thursday, September 23, Holy Names visits the Felix Event Center, and the following evening (Saturday, Sept. 24) Dominican will take the court against the Cougars. Both matches will start at 6:00 pm.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW - MAGGIE NIELSEN & ANNAKA JORGENSON:
