AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific bounced back from a rough first set to earn a season sweep of Vanguard, defeating the Lions 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 25-14 Saturday afternoon inside the Felix Event Center. Sarah Wilson had 13 kills to lead a balanced attack as the Cougars reached double figures in the win column on the season.

How It Happened: The Cougars were on the back foot from the beginning in the opening set, as Vanguard scored the first three points of the set and never trailed. Anya Green kept the Cougars in the set, recording five of her 12 kills on the day in the opening frame, and Azusa Pacific was able to stave off three set points to tie things up at 24-24, but Vanguard got a kill and then a Cougar attack error to pull out the set, 26-24.

After a couple of early ties, the Cougars took the lead for good with a 5-1 run in the second set, taking an 8-4 advantage. Wilson had five of her kills in the second set, and the Lions never got closer than two points after that early Cougar run. Consecutive blocks by Katelyn Sonnier and Amanda Albertini gave the Cougars a 20-14 lead, and the home team would coast in from there to level the match at a set apiece.

Another early run in the third would give the Cougars a small lead that would prove insurmountable. This 5-0 run included a pair of blocks from the Cougars' other frontline duo of Green and Kendyl MacAskill, sandwiched around a Wilson ace, one of eight Azusa Pacific served up on the afternoon.  he Lions would rally and draw within a point on four occasions in the set, but back-to-back kills by Green would gain the Cougars some much needed breathing room, and they would clinch the set on a kill by Brynja Martin, who played the final three sets of the match.

After spotting the Lions a 5-2 lead in the fourth set, Azusa Pacific found the gas pedal and slammed on it, taking the lead with a 5-0 run, then unleashing a finishing kick that would make Michael Phelps proud, winning 13 of the final 16 points in the match to close things out in the fourth.

By the Numbers: The Cougars hit .301 for the match, racking up 55 kills in all.  While Wilson and Green were the only Cougars in double figures, six different Cougars had at least half a dozen. Mia Medrano had 17 digs and 3 aces from the libero spot, and Green added 7 block assists while MacAskill had 6 of her own. Setter Brooklyn Kostoff kept the offense humming, dishing out 28 assists to go with 12 digs of her own. Azusa Pacific now leads the all-time series against Vanguard 48-20, and have won 8 consecutive matches against the Lions in Azusa, a streak that dates back to 2005.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (10-4, 6-1 PacWest) will head out to Hawai'i next week for a two-game road trip. Their first stop is the Big Island where they will take on Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday night. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (10:00 p.m. PDT).