ATHERTON, Calif. — In just their third-ever meeting, Azusa Pacific came up short in a 2-3 loss to Menlo, as the Cougars continue to search for their first win in a fifth set this season. They have now dropped five matches that have gone the distance, including their most recent match against Concordia.
In their previous meetings, Azusa Pacific defeated Menlo 3-0 in both 2011 and 2005. However, this time around, the Oaks proved tougher competition. With the loss, the Cougars drop to 12-9 on the season, with an 8-6 record in PacWest play.
How it Happened: Azusa Pacific found itself trailing 9-14 early in the first set but rallied with a 7-1 scoring run to take a 16-15 lead. Menlo regained the advantage and held it until the Cougars made a late push, with a service error, an ace, and a kill to tie the set at 23-23. Menlo closed out the first set with the final two points, winning 25-23, despite a strong effort from the Cougars.
In the second set, the Cougars were down 12-7 before mounting a 10-2 scoring run to take a 17-14 lead. They maintained their momentum, finishing the set with a 25-21 win, which saw a solid .270 hitting percentage and only four errors.
In the third, the Cougars continued their hot hitting and were able to jump out to a 21-14 lead before taking the set 25-18. Katelynn Sonnier put up six kills in the third set alone, contributing to the team's set win.
While things looked good for the Cougars to finish it out in the fourth set, they ran into a bit of trouble, dropping the set 21-25. Most of the Cougars' points in the set came from attacking errors by Menlo while the Cougars only had nine kills in the set.
In the fifth, the Cougars started strong with an 8-4 lead, but Menlo responded with a five-point run. Azusa Pacific fought back with another scoring run, but Menlo scored six of the final seven points to win 15-12, clinching the match.
By the Numbers: The Cougars had a strong offensive showing, with
Sarah Wilson and Katelynn Sonnier combining for 32 kills, but it wasn't enough to overcome Menlo's Ayanna Barham, who recorded 25 kills across all five sets. Azusa Pacific had fewer errors than the Oaks (27 to 34), but it was their hitting struggles in the final two sets that ultimately made the difference. The Cougars hit just .077 and .000 in those sets, while Menlo posted hitting percentages of .167 and .192 in the last two frames.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific will look to bounce back quickly as they wrap up their NorCal trip with a match against Dominican today at 3:00 pm. After this two-game road stretch, the Cougars will return home for the remainder of the season with a five-game homestand starting Wednesday.
