AZUSA, Calif. — In a day filled with emotion, celebration, and a strong finish to the regular season, Azusa Pacific women's volleyball delivered a commanding 3–1 victory over Dominican (18–25, 25–20, 25–20, 25–20) inside the Felix Event Center on Senior Day. Before the first serve, the Cougars honored the decorated careers of Katelyn Sonnier, Amanda Albertini, and Makayla Chiechi, and the trio responded by anchoring APU's best all-around performance of the final match of the season.
The win pushes Azusa Pacific to 9–16 overall and 4–8 in PacWest play, closing the regular season on a high note backed by efficient hitting, aggressive serving, and one of their strongest defensive outings at home.
APU struggled to find rhythm early, with Dominican using a surge from Alexis Schwartz to claim an 18–25 opener. Sarah Wilson and Flora Sebestyen provided early sparks with three kills each, but Dominican capitalized on late-set scoring runs to take the early 1–0 lead.
Fueled by Senior Day energy, the Cougars flipped the match in the second set. Makayla Chiechi stepped behind the service line and ignited a run, including a service ace and three Dominican attack errors forced by her pressure serves. APU's block led by Sonnier took control, producing two key stuffs that slowed Dominican's pin hitters.
Wilson tallied five kills in the set, while Trinitee Carroll and Mia Medrano steadied the passing lanes to level the match, 1–1.
Set three featured Azusa Pacific's most balanced offensive effort of the night. Kostoff guided the Cougars to a .350 hitting percentage while Wilson delivered multiple momentum-swinging kills in the middle, and Sonnier tallied three kills as APU built a comfortable lead.
With Medrano and Wilson combining for 16 digs in the set alone, APU's transition game overwhelmed Dominican as the Cougars claimed a 2–1 match lead.
It raced to a 6–3 start behind Wilson's serving and Sebestyen's hot hand, and Dominican never fully recovered.
Sonnier and Albertini added two more blocks late in the set, and fittingly, Albertini put down the match-winning kill off a Kostoff set as the home crowd rose to its feet.
The senior trio finished the night with a combined 15 kills, five blocks, and 11 digs, delivering a signature performance in their Felix Event Center farewell.

Looking Ahead