SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific earned its fifth consecutive victory with a 3-0 win over Westmont, improving to 7-3 this season and 3-0 in PacWest play. This sweep marked the Cougars' fifth win in straight sets this season and their second in a row, following a 3-0 over Jessup on Saturday.
Additionally, Tuesday night was Azusa Pacific's first inner-conference match against Westmont, during which the Cougars extended their all-time win streak to 19, improving their overall record to 48-34 since 1976.
Delaney Tate led the match with 14 kills, while
Sarah Wilson contributed nine and
Kendyl MacAskill added eight. The Cougars shared setting duties, with
Brooklyn Kostoff recording 21 assists and
Brooke Bunker achieving a season-high 16 assists.
How it Happened: The Cougars started with a 9-7 lead in the first set before finding their groove, going on a 7-2 scoring run to take a commanding 16-9 lead. Both teams exchanged points until Westmont found themselves on a 7-1 scoring run of their own to make the set 22-19. However, two kills from
Katelyn Sonnier and Tate plus a service error provided the Cougars with the 25-22 win.
In the following set, action continued to go back and forth as neither team earned more than two consecutive points before siding out. Eventually, MacAsill and Wilson put together three consecutive kills to give the Cougars a 17-15 lead. Both teams continued to exchange points until Azusa Pacific scored four of the set's last five points to win 25-21.
In the third and final set, the Warriors found themselves with a 17-14 lead however, kills from MacAskill, Wilson, and Tate brought the game to 18-18. While Westmont responded with two points, the Cougars went on a 5-1 scoring streak before eventually back-to-back attack errors by the Warriors handed the Cougars the 25-22 win to take the match.
By the Numbers: The Cougars played a nearly flawless match, committing just seven errors overall, including only one in the first set. Their combined hitting percentage of .312 marked a season best. In contrast, the Warriors recorded 18 errors and finished with a .222 hitting percentage.
Up Next: The Cougars return home for the first Cornerstone Cup game of the year, facing crosstown rival Biola at 6 p.m. in the Felix Event Center on Thursday. They will then complete their fourth game in seven days with an away match at Concordia on Saturday at 5 p.m.
