Azusa Pacific (1-2) picked up its first win of the 2021 campaign, defeating Cal State Los Angeles in a thrilling five-set match (25-15, 26-28, 25-22, 22-25, 16-14) at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego.
Katarina Radisic and Annaka Jorgenson provided the lion's share of offense, with Radisic posting 19 kills and Jorgenson finishing with 15. Maggie Nielsen was the Cougars' main distributor in the match, dishing out 25 assists for her teammates. Three Cougars had four or more blocks, led by six from Delaney Dunham, who finished with three solo and three block assists. Kaitlin Craig had five total blocks, including two solo, and Jaela Bernard finished with four block assists. Bailey Henington finished with 36 digs.
Azusa Pacific started the match well by building an early lead of 6-2, and then continuing to extend the margin to 10 at 18-8. Over the remainder of the set, the Cougars maintained an advantage of eight or more, taking the opening frame by an eventual 25-15 score. The Cougars were able to take the first rather comfortably due to 11 kills and just three attack errors, while the Golden Eagles had 11 errors.
Cal State Los Angeles was able to draw even in the match with a hard fought 28-26 second set victory. The Cougars held a 10-9 lead when the Golden Eagles scored six unanswered points to grab a 15-10 lead. Over the next 14 points, Cal State Los Angeles was able to maintain some cushion to its lead, and the Cougars trailed 22-17. Azusa Pacific was able to work its way back into the set and tie things up at 24-24, but the Golden Eagles ultimately held off the comeback.
It was Cal State Los Angeles that grabbed the initial momentum in the third, turning a 2-4 deficit into an 8-4 advantage with six unanswered points. The Cougars would halt the run, scoring four of the next five to draw within one at 9-8. The Golden Eagles would hold on to the lead until the Cougars knotted it up at 19-19, and then Azusa Pacific took its first lead since 4-2 at 21-20. With the score tied at 22-22, a pair of Jorgenson kills sandwiched a Golden Eagles attack error to give the Cougars a 25-22 set victory and a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was a series of alternating runs by both teams, with nine instances of one side scoring three or more unanswered points. Holding a 16-15 lead, Cal State Los Angeles looked to have seized control of the set after six consecutive points put the Golden Eagles up 22-15. Trailing 23-16 two points later, the Cougars fought back with a 6-0 run of their own, which allowed them to pull within one at 23-22. Cal State Los Angeles was able to avoid the comeback and force a fifth set off of two kills to take the set 25-22.
In the fifth, the Golden Eagles were able to get ahead by four points on four occasions, at 5-1, 7-3, 10-6, and 12-8. It was at the 12-8 mark when the Cougars made the most important run of the match, scoring six unanswered to jump ahead at 14-8 with match point. During that 6-0 run, Radisic led the way with three kills to spark the Cougars. After Cal State Los Angeles responded with back-to-back kills, the score was locked at 14-14. Radisic once again delivered for the Cougars, recording her 19th kill of the match to make it 15-14, and then Annaka Jorgenson delivered the game-winning kill to put Azusa Pacific in the win column for the first time this season.
Due to technical difficulties with the statistical computer down in San Diego, the final stats and box score are currently unavailable. The statistics and full game recap will be posted once the issues are corrected.
Up Next: The Cougars wrap up their weekend at the Seaside Invitational with a match against the defending NCAA Division II national champions, the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. The game is set for noon on Saturday, and can be watched here. The game will also be a rematch of the 2019 NCAA Division II West Regional, a game in which the Coyotes won in five sets, en route to the national title.
