AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific women's volleyball celebrated Senior Night with a three-set sweep over Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at the Felix Event Center. The Cougars defeated the Sagehens 26-24, 25-22, 25-22 to improve to 25-5 overall and 9-4 in SCIAC play.
Brynja Martin led the Cougars with a match-high 15 kills, eight digs and two block assists. Jacey Loewen added 12 kills while hitting an impressive .550, committing just one attack error on 20 attempts. Jackie Winfield contributed eight kills, while Mylah Niksa added six kills and three block assists.
The Cougars opened the match with a tightly contested first set. Azusa Pacific recorded 17 kills and hit .351 to edge Pomona-Pitzer 26-24 and take an early 1-0 advantage.
Azusa Pacific carried that momentum into the second set, recording 15 kills while holding the Sagehens to a .194 hitting percentage. The Cougars secured a 25-22 victory to move within one set of the sweep.In the third set, Azusa Pacific continued its efficient offensive performance with 14 kills and a .256 hitting percentage. The Cougars limited Pomona-Pitzer to a .093 hitting percentage and closed out the match with another 25-22 victory.
Brooklyn Kostoff directed the offense with 20 assists, while Hunter Kwan added 18. Defensively, Mia Medrano led the Cougars with nine digs, followed by Martin and Flora Sebestyen with eight each. Azusa Pacific finished the match with 46 kills, 42 assists and 48 digs while hitting .276 as a team. The Cougars held Pomona-Pitzer to a .161 hitting percentage and outblocked the Sagehens 5-4.
The victory provided a fitting conclusion to Senior Night as Azusa Pacific honored its seniors and celebrated its 25th win of the season in front of the home crowd.
The Cougars will next compete in the National Christian College Championship Tournament, scheduled for December 2-5 at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. Their opening opponent and match time have yet to be announced.
