IRVINE, Calif. — Azusa Pacific came out strong in its non-conference matchup at Concordia Irvine, taking the opening set before dropping the next three to fall 1–4 (24–26, 10–25, 18–25, 22–25) Thursday evening at CU Arena. The Cougars (7–13 overall) showed early control and resilience but were unable to sustain momentum against a disciplined Golden Eagle squad.
It opened the match with confidence, hitting .294 in a hard-fought first set. Flora Sebestyen and
Sarah Wilson provided the spark offensively, while
Brooklyn Kostoff orchestrated a balanced attack. Sebestyen delivered several key digs late, and
Amanda Albertini capped the frame with a decisive kill to seal the 26–24 win.
Concordia bounced back in set two, using tough serving and an early 12–4 run to take command. The Cougars struggled to regain rhythm and dropped the set 25–10.
The third frame was more competitive, with Jackie Winfield and
Katelyn Sonnier contributing kills to keep APU within striking distance. However, the Golden Eagles' block and serving depth proved too much, as Concordia closed the set on a 6–2 run for a 25–18 win.
In the fourth, APU mounted one final push. Wilson, Sebestyen, and Sonnier fueled a late rally to cut the deficit to 22–20, but Concordia held off the surge to finish the match 25–22.
Inside the Box Score
- 55 — Total digs for the Cougars, led by Sebestyen's 16.
- 5.0 — Team blocks by APU.
- 9.0 — Total blocks by Concordia.
- 14 / 6 — Tie scores and lead changes across the match.
- .315 — Concordia's hitting percentage.
- 1:54 — Length of the match at CU Arena.
Looking Ahead
Azusa Pacific continues their short roadtrip with a Saturady night matchup at Vanguard.
