AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougar volleyball team fought valiantly but came up short in a four-set loss to Chaminade (25-22, 26-28, 26-28, 21-25) on Saturday evening inside the Felix Event Center.
How It Happened: Attempting to pull off the upset against the Silverswords, who entered the match undefeated in PacWest play, Azusa Pacific got off to a quick start, winning six of the first seven points. While Chaminade would rally back to tie the set at 10-10, the Cougars rattled off another 5-0 run to assume control of the set, stretching the lead to as much as seven before holding on for a 25-22 advantage. The Cougars hit .364 in the first set as a team while coming up with three blocks at the net.
The second set began with a series of short runs that saw Chaminade up 8-7 midway through the first rotation. After the Silverswords opened up a four-point advantage, the Cougars utilized a 5-1 run to level the set at 16-16. But then the Cougars' serving let them down, handing Chaminade six free points through service errors during the set. It was tense down the stretch, as the set saw 12 ties and 6 lead changes. Both teams would have set points late, but Chaminade won four of the last five points to level the match at 28-26.
The third set played out much like the second, though with fewer lead changes. Azusa Pacific took a small lead thanks to an 8-2 run in the middle of the set and kept a two-point advantage as late as 21-19. Annaka Jorgenson had nine kills for the Cougars in the set as both sides fought for control of the match. Each team fought off two set points before Chaminade won the final three points to claim a 2-1 lead in the match.
Chaminade, seemingly invigorated from having survived the previous two sets, pulled away early in the fourth, leading by as many as nine points at 18-9. The Cougars were able to claw their way back to within three points, but the Silverswords got the necessary sideout to remain the only PacWest team with an unblemished record in conference play thus far.
Inside the Numbers: Jorgenson finished the game with 20 kills and 14 digs. Kyra Palmbush added 10 kills of her own, while she and Kaitlin Craig each had a hand in 4 of the Cougars' 8 blocks. Hailey Patino had a team-high 23 digs, one of three Cougars who reached double figures in that category. Aubrea Banfield served up three of the team's seven aces, giving her 38 on the season. The win is Chaminade's third in a row against Azusa Pacific, but their first in Azusa since 2015.
Up Next: The Cougars (8-8, 4-3 PacWest) will head up to the Bay Area for three games in three days. Up first is a Monday evening contest against Holy Names. First serve in Oakland is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
