LA MIRADA, Calif. – In their final outing on the hardwood this season, the Cougars fought hard against their Cornerstone Cup rivals, ultimately falling to Biola in four sets (25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 19-25) Saturday afternoon inside Chase Gymnasium.  As a team, the Cougars hit .257 for the match.

How It Happened:  The Cougars came flying out of the gate, opening the match on an 8-1 run and never looking back in the first set.  Annaka Jorgenson was the star of the opening set for the Cougars, coming up with five kills and four digs along the way as the visitors hit a blistering .375 in the opening set.  Jorgenson had back-to-back kills to complete the set, handing the Cougars their largest lead of the frame on the final point at 25-16.

In a more closely-contested second set, Biola took a small lead after the first dozen points and would be ahead by as much as 14-10, but aided by a controversial touch call, the Cougars ran off a small run of their own to even the set at 16-all and force a Biola timeout.  After spotting the Eagles the next two points, Azusa Pacific rattled off four consecutive kills to retake the lead.  Biola called another timeout, then ran off four in a row themselves to claim a 22-20 edge, and the Eagles would hold on to level the match at 25-23.

The third set was a tale of runs.  After a series of sideouts to begin the third, Biola took control with an 8-0 run.  After that rough start, Azusa Pacific would claw their way back into the set with a 9-1 run of their own to claim a narrow lead at 14-12.  Biola responded with a 9-3 outburst to regain the lead at 21-17, and while for the second consecutive set it took the Eagles three tries, they were able to pull out another 25-23 set to go up 2-1 in the match.

While the Cougars were able to stay within a couple of points for most of the fourth set, Biola was able to relocate their offensive efficiency after a dip in the third, hitting .394 in the final set and winning the final three points to claim the match and the season sweep.

By the Numbers:  In her final collegiate game, Jorgenson had 18 kills and 8 digs.  She ends her career with 1,551 kills, which is the third-most in Azusa Pacific history and fifth-most in PacWest history.  Kyra Palmbush also reached double figures, finishing with 10 kills.  Defensively, Paige Johnstone led with 18 digs, while Maggie Nielsen added 10 to go with 17 assists.  Jaela Bernard had 7 kills and 3 blocks, while Sarah Wilson added 9 kills to cap an impressive freshman season.  The match gives Biola the full 10 points from volleyball towards the Cornerstone Cup this season.  

With today's result, the Cougars finish the 2023 season with a record of 17-11, ending up in fourth place in the PacWest with a 14-6 mark in conference play.