AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougars were swept aside by Point Loma Wednesday evening, falling 25-13, 25-13, 25-15 on the floor of the Felix Event Center.
How It Happened: Point Loma came into the match steamed after suffering their first loss of the season over the weekend, and after an early feeling-out process, took out their frustrations on the ball and the Cougars. The Sea Lions took command of the opening set with a 9-1 run, turning a one-point Cougar lead into a 16-9 margin and kept their foot on the gas, putting up 15 kills in the first set, the lowest total they would have in any set this evening. Another 7-1 run would finish off the set.
Point Loma would not trail at all in the second set, evenly trading the first four points before unleashing an 8-2 run to again take what would prove to be an insurmountable lead. The Cougars briefly clawed back within four at 12-8, only for the Sea Lions to storm back with a 6-1 run to remove all doubt, then rattling off six in a row to make the rest of the set academic.
Point Loma saved their most efficient hitting for the final set, running off 16 kills with only a single error. Again, after a close early set, Point Loma ran off five points in a row to gain breathing room and slowly pulled away. While the Cougars had their best set of the night hitting wise (11 kills to 2 errors), it was not enough.
By the Numbers: The Cougars were held to a season-low 25 kills in the match, with
Sarah Wilson notching a team-best 7. By contrast, the Sea Lions hit .394 as a team while limiting the Cougars to just .112. Wilson added 7 digs and a solo block, while
Mia Medrano led the back row with 9 digs. Point Loma–who is fourth in this week's regional rankings–has won five consecutive matches against the Cougars, though Azusa Pacific still holds a narrow 51-48 lead in the all-time series.
Up Next: The Cougars (14-11, 10-8 PacWest) still have two home games left in the season, beginning with a Friday night showdown against Academy of Art. First serve in the Felix Event Center is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.