AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific's volleyball team closed out the home portion of its schedule with a straight-set defeat to Concordia, falling to the Golden Eagles by a final score of 23-25, 18-25, 23-25 Thursday evening inside the Felix Event Center. The match marked the final time that three Cougar seniors would take the court in the Felix Event Center, as Aubrea Banfield, Kaitlin Craig and Katarina Radisic were honored in a pregame ceremony.

How It Happened:  The Cougars jumped out to an early advantage in the first set, recording eight kills without an error en route to building a 14-7 lead.  Unfortunately, four service errors and two aces for Concordia would highlight a Golden Eagles rally that would see them roar back and take the first set, winning the final four points to take a 25-23 victory in the opener.

Concordia was dominant in the second set, putting together a 14-6 run that gave them a double-digit lead late in the set at 21-11 before the Cougars went on a run to make the score respectable.  By the end of the second set, the Golden Eagles had 28 kills, 8 blocks, and 5 aces to go along with their two-set lead.

The third set was a much closer affair, with six ties and a pair of lead changes.  But free points continued to prove decisive for the visitors, as Concordia got five aces and three Cougar service errors in the final frame.  That, coupled with a 7-0 run, put Concordia ahead for good, as while the Cougars were able to hold off two match points, but could not draw even.

By the Numbers:  Annaka Jorgenson led the Cougars with 14 kills on the evening, adding in 11 digs.  Katarina Radisic had 14 digs of her own to go with 4 kills, while fellow senior Kaitlin Craig had 9 kills in the match.  Delaney Dunham and Kendyl Macaskill combined for three consecutive blocks in the third set, and accounted for 6.5 of the Cougars' 8 blocks in the match.  Aubrea Banfield doled out 22 assists and had a pair of aces, giving her a PacWest-leading 65 for the season.  She can tie the program's single-season record, which has stood since 1993, with three aces in the final match Saturday.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (15-13, 11-8 PacWest) closes out the season with a trip down to San Diego to face Point Loma.  First serve inside Golden Gymnasium is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the match will be livestreamed HERE.