No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino defeated Azusa Pacific in three sets, as the Cougars wrapped up their weekend at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego.

Katarina Radisic finished with 10 kills, and Maggie Nielsen had 13 assists to lead the Cougars offensively. At the net, three Cougars finished with three total blocks; Jaela Bernard (one solo block), Delaney Dunham and Kaitlin Craig. Bailey Henington averaged six digs per set, as she had a total of 18 on the day. Off the bench, Cayla Broussard tallied two service aces. 

The Cougars got off to a quick start in the opening set, as Kaitlin Craig and Delaney Dunham opened the match with a block on the reigning NCAA Division II Player of the Year Alexis Cordoza, and then Katarina Radisic had back-to-back kills to make it 3-0. The Coyotes would respond with three consecutive points of their own, and the two sides were then locked in a back-and-forth affair. With the score locked at 13 all, the Cougars took three of the next four points to take a 17-14 lead, but three attack errors then allowed the Coyotes to get back in the contest. After trading the next 10 points, the score sat at 22-22. The Coyotes' Lydia Morohunfola broke the tie with a kill, and then a Cougar attack error gave Cal State San Bernardino a set point at 24-22. A Coyote service error then made it 24-23, but Melissa Garciglia closed out the set for CSUSB with a kill that made it 25-23.

While the score was tied at 7-7 in the second set, the Coyotes used a 7-1 run to surge ahead 14-8. The Cougars would chip away at the lead, eventually drawing within one point at 19-18 when Radisic delivered a kill. A Cougar error on the ensuing serve gave the Coyotes a two point lead once again, and the deficit would remain two or more through the end of the set. Cal State San Bernardino would take the 2-0 match lead with a 25-20 second set win.

Cal State San Bernardino wasted no time in establishing control of the third and eventual final set, as the Coyotes took a 12-2 lead early and led by as much as 14 points (20-6). When all was said and done, the Coyotes took the third set by a 25-16 score to clinch the match.

By the Numbers: The Coyotes finished with 45 kills on 112 attempts with 17 errors (.250 hitting percentage), while the Cougars posted a hitting percentage of .095 on 24 kills over 95 attempts with 15 errors. Cal State San Bernardino served eight aces on the match, while Azusa Pacific had three. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (1-3) will not return home and get set for the SoCal Freeway Challenge this week. The Cougars will have their home opener on Thursday, September 9 at 9:00 am against Northwest Nazarene, followed by a 3:00 pm match later that day against Stanislaus State on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. On Friday, the Cougars will be matched up against Cal State San Marcos (game will be played at 4:00 pm on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona), and then on Saturday, the Cougars host Westminster at 12:30 pm. Head over to the schedule for live video and stat links.