SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Just a few weeks ago, the Cougars were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. Then, they faced a really strong string of Conference competitors five of the last seven games. However, the Cougars found a spark, securing a 3-0 sweep over Dominican in their last road game of the season.

Less than 24 hours prior to the the start of the match, Azusa Pacific fell 3-2 in a five set thriller to Menlo. But the Cougars were able to shake it off and take the win over the Penguins in straight sets (25-16, 28-26, 25-21).

For her fourth game in a row, Sarah Wilson had double-digit kills, this time finishing with 12 while Katelynn Sonnier had ten of her own. Defensively, Mia Medrano had 15 digs while Anya Green contributed seven blocks.

How it Happened: Azusa Pacific held its lead through the entirety of the first set, which featured a five-point run early on before two kills from Katelynn Sonnier and one from Kendyl MacAskill capped off the set with three straight points, providing the Cougars with a quick and easy 25-16 win. 

In the second set, the Penguins held a lead for most of the set including a 23-18 lead before the Cougars embarked on a six point scoring run which featured four attacking errors made by Dominican. Up 24-23, the Cougars committed a service error before both teams swapped a point each. Then, the Penguins found themselves at set point, but the Cougars claimed three straight points, thanks to kills from Sonnier, to take the set 28-26.

In the final set, the Cougars showed no mercy, taking off on a 7-2 lead early on. Although Azusa Pacific never surrendered its lead, the Penguins tied the score five times in the final set. But it wasn't enough as the Cougars got hot once more with a six point scoring run, featuring back-to-back service aces by Brooke Bunker. While the Penguins were able to keep it close, a kill from Sarah Wilson secured the match after the 25-21 win in the third set.

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific dominated in hitting tonight, finishing with a .268 hitting percentage across the three sets. Meanwhile, Dominican finished with a .074 average and a whopping 27 errors. Azusa Pacific leads the all-time match-up against Dominican 22-2 with the last loss dating all the way back to 2015.

Up Next: The Cougars finally finished their away schedule and will return home for the remainder of the season. They kickoff their five-game homestand with a match against Chaminade on Wednesday in the Felix Event Center at 6:00pm.