IRVINE, Calif. – Following a 3-1 loss at Concordia on Friday night, Azusa Pacific is 6-7 overall, and 2-2 in PacWest conference play.

Delaney Dunham finished with six block assists and Kaitlin Craig had a solo block and three block assists, while Hailey Patino picked up 21 digs for the Cougars defensively. Three Cougars reached double figures in kills, led by 16 from Annaka Jorgenson, followed by Katarina Radisic (13) and Craig (10). Aubrea Banfield tallied 30 assists in the match.

How It Happened: After the Golden Eagles won the first (25-21) and second (25-22) sets, Azusa Pacific was in danger of falling in straight sets. However, the Cougars would extend the match by winning in the third.

In the third set, Concordia got off to a fast start and led 5-2, but the Cougars were able to draw even at 7-7. After a kill by Concordia's Caitlin Jerrell put the home team back up 8-7, the Cougars collected four unanswered points to leap in front 12-8. The Golden Eagles would cut it to 12-10, but Azusa Pacific responded with another 4-0 run to push ahead 16-10. Concordia would draw no closer than five points for the remainder of the set, and the Cougars eventually forced the fourth set by way of a 25-18 set win.

The Cougars threatened to force a fifth and final set down the stretch in the fourth, as the set was tied at 23-23, and then again at 24-24, but the Golden Eagles closed out the match with a kill by Danielle McCasland that made it 25-24, and then a service ace from Michelle Feliciano for the 27-25 victory.

By The Numbers: From a numbers standpoint, the two sides finished fairly evenly. Concordia had a team hitting percentage of .251, while the Cougars finished at .241. Concordia posted slight advantages in several categories, including blocks (11-10), kills (61-60), aces (3-2), and digs (74-70). For the third consecutive match, the Cougars did not commit a blocking error.

Up Next: The Cougars will now prepare for a three-game conference homestand next week, as the PacWest's three Hawaiian schools will swing through Southern California. Azusa Pacific opens with Hawai'i Hilo on Monday (Sept. 26) at 6:00 pm, Hawai'i Pacific on Wednesday (Sept. 28) at 6:00 pm, and then preseason-PacWest favorite Chaminade visits the Felix Event Center on Saturday (Oct. 1) at 5:00 pm.