AZUSA, Calif. – Playing their second match in less than 24 hours, the Cougar volleyball team scratched and clawed their way to a four set win, defeating Point Loma 28-30, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 Saturday afternoon inside the Felix Event Center.

How It Happened:  Both teams opened up hitting the ball extremely well, as the sides combined for 41 kills in the longest first set Azusa Pacific has played this season.  While Point Loma would build a five-point advantage at 18-13, the Cougars fought back in a set that saw nine ties and four lead changes as each team would serve for the set on multiple occasions before the Sea Lions pulled the opening frame out, 30-28.

The Cougars would respond with one of the cleanest attacking sets they have had all year, putting up 14 kills against just a single error, hitting a blistering .419 in the second set.  Annaka Jorgenson had five of those 14 kills as the Cougars rebounded from an early 5-1 deficit, using a 5-1 run to tie the score at 6-6 and later a 6-0 run to gain a lead they would not relinquish.  Back-to-back kills by Jorgenson set the stage for Katarina Radisic to level the match with her eighth kill of the day.

Radisic took over the game in the third set, putting up another seven kills by herself as the Cougars built a 16-8 lead midway through the third set, only to see the Sea Lions storm back into the set, even taking a 23-21 advantage themselves with a 6-0 run late.  However, the Cougars passed this test of character, calmly putting together four consecutive points, ending on a Kaitlin Craig kill to close out the set, 25-23.

The fourth set was a tightly-contested affair, as over the first 38 points neither side would lead by more than two at any time, fighting through 11 ties while the lead changed hands twice.  Ultimately, the Cougars front court proved the difference, securing four crucial blocks over the course of the set while inducing a total of 11 Sea Lion errors in the set.  Azusa Pacific would close the match with a 7-2 run to seal the victory.

By the Numbers:  Radisic had a team-high 16 kills in the match, with seven in both the first and third sets.  Jorgenson was the only other Cougar in double figures with 14 while tying for the team high in digs with Hailey Patino, each of whom had 17.  Aubrea Banfield had 13 digs, 3 aces, and 4 kills as a setter.  Maggie Neilsen dished out a team-high 21 assists.  Back up front, Craig had five blocks, including a pair of solo efforts, while Kyra Palmbush had six block assists; both had eight kills on the day.  This was the first victory for Azusa Pacific this season that was not a straight-set sweep.  The Cougars have won three straight contests against Point Loma and four of the last five.

Up Next:  The Cougars (12-9, 8-4 PacWest) will host their third game in five days Tuesday when they renew the Cornerstone Cup rivalry with Biola.  The Eagles won the first contest between the two sides last month in La Mirada.  First serve is set for 6:00 p.m., and the game can be streamed HERE.

Postgame Interview - Maggie Nielsen & Katarina Radisic: