IRVINE, Calif. - Azusa Pacific is into the win column, after the Cougars swept Colorado Springs (25-9, 28-26, 25-14) on Friday evening. The Cougars are now 1-2 overall.

Annaka Jorgenson had 10 kills, while Kendyl Macaskill and Sarah Wilson each added six kills apiece. Trinitee Carroll finished with a team-high 17 assists. At the service line, Paige Johnstone and Brooke Bunker finished with three service aces apiece, and the Cougars finished with 10 service aces overall. Defensively, Mackenzie Jensen had a solo block and three block assists, while Kyra Palmbush added three more block assists. 

How It Happened: Azusa Pacific opened the first set by taking a 9-3 lead, and the Cougars would never look back in the opening frame. In the first set, the Cougars had three different runs of four unanswered points, including the last four points of the set to turn a 21-9 lead into a 25-9 set victory. 

The second set was the lone competitive set of the match, as Colorado Springs fought back from an early lead for the Cougars. Azusa Pacific went up 8-3, but the Mountain Lions scored five unanswered to knot the score at 8-8. The Cougars would push their lead back up to a comfortable 17-11 advantage, but Colorado Springs would fight back and overtake the lead at 19-18. A 4-1 run by the Cougars allowed them to regain a lead at 22-20, but the Mountain Lions responded with a 4-0 run of their own to make it 24-22. An attack error and service error by Colorado Springs kept the Cougars alive, tying the score at 24-24, but the Mountain Lions would hold match point for the third time at 25-24. Azusa Pacific overcame the match point once again, as Wilson delivered a kill, and the Cougars captured the set by winning three of the next four points, including back-to-back kills by Jensen to seal it at 28-26.

In the third set, the Cougars jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but Colorado Springs roared back with seven unanswered points to tie it up. The momentum was short lived for the Mountain Lions, as Azusa Pacific put the pedal to the medal, scoring eleven of the next 12 points to take a 19-9 lead. From that point on, the margin was no less than nine, as the Cougars comfortably secured the sweep.

By the Numbers: The Cougars' 10 service aces marked just the fifth time since 2018 in which Azusa Pacific reached double-digit aces in a match. Azusa Pacific's most efficient offensive set was in the third, where the Cougars posted a hitting percentage of .231 with 10 kills on 24 attempts. The Cougars are now 3-0 all-time against Colorado Springs, as the two teams played twice in the 1989 season. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will now prepare to measure itself against one of the nation's best teams, with a Saturday evening matchup against No. 4 Wayne State up next on the schedule. The match will be the fourth and final for the Cougars at the Concordia Invitational, and first serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm down in Irvine.