SURPRISE/MESA, Ariz. – Azusa Pacific remained perfect on the season Friday, collecting a pair of road victories in Arizona to extend its season-opening winning streak to 10 matches.
The Cougars opened their day with a straight-set victory over Ottawa University Arizona, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17, at Faith Arena in Surprise before traveling to Mesa and defeating Benedictine Mesa in four sets, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18. The 2 wins moved Azusa Pacific to 10-0.
Azusa Pacific 3, OUAZ 0
Azusa Pacific controlled Friday's opener with its defense, limiting OUAZ to a .061 hitting percentage while finishing with 41 kills and a .197 attack percentage. The Cougars also held advantages of 7-3 in service aces and 59-54 in digs. OUAZ finished with 32 kills and committed 24 attack errors.
Sarah Wilson led Azusa Pacific with 14 kills and added 14 digs for a double-double while also delivering a pair of aces. Mylah Niksa contributed 7 kills and 4 blocks, and freshman Taylor Klatt continues to shine in her young college career, finishing with 6 kills and 3 blocks.
The Cougars' 2-setter offense received 17 assists from Hunter Kwan and 15 from Brooklyn Kostoff. Defensively, Flora Sebestyen led Azusa Pacific with 15 digs, while Wilson's 14 gave the Cougars 2 players with double-digit totals. Freshman Allie Hertzler came off the bench to supply 3 of APU's 7 aces.
Azusa Pacific set the tone by hitting .275 in the opening set, producing 16 kills in a 25-19 victory. The Cougars did not hit nearly as efficiently in the second, but their defense was excellent. OUAZ managed only 12 kills against 11 errors and hit .019 as APU ground out a 25-21 win to take a 2-set advantage.
The Cougars then produced their strongest combination of offense and defense in the third. Azusa Pacific put down 15 kills and hit .263 while holding the Spirit to 8 kills and a .086 percentage in a 25-17 clincher.
The victory was particularly notable considering the form OUAZ carried into the match. The Spirit had won 6 consecutive matches following an 0-4 start, including 5-set victories over the NAIA's No. 17 The Master's and Benedictine Mesa.
Azusa Pacific 3, Benedictine Mesa 1
Six hours after the first serve in Surprise, the Cougars were back on the court at Benedictine, across the Phoenix metroplex in Mesa.
Wilson again supplied the biggest offensive numbers. She registered a match-high 16 kills and finished with 13 digs and 2 aces. Jacey Loewen and Klatt each added 10 kills, with Klatt doing so on just 15 swings for a .467 hitting percentage. Loewen hit .333 and was also a major presence at the net with 7 blocks.
Kostoff directed the offense with 29 assists and Kwan added 18, while Sebestyen anchored the back row with a match-high 19 digs and also served 2 aces. Azusa Pacific hit .247 for the match with 54 kills against 18 errors. Benedictine finished with 49 kills but committed 25 hitting errors and hit .167.
The opening set was tightly contested despite Benedictine outhitting APU .294 to .267. The Cougars nevertheless found a way to take it 25-22. The Redhawks responded in the second, producing their best offensive set of the match with 18 kills and a .333 hitting percentage to even the match with a 25-21 victory.
From there, the match sharply turned.
Azusa Pacific's defense held Benedictine to 8 kills and a .032 hitting percentage in the third set as the Cougars pulled away for a 25-18 win. The fourth was even more decisive statistically. Benedictine managed just 7 kills against 9 errors for a minus-.059 percentage, while APU hit .265 and closed out another 25-18 victory.
The turnaround meant that after Benedictine hit .314 over the opening 2 sets with 34 kills and only nine errors, it produced just 15 kills against 16 errors over the final 2 sets. Azusa Pacific, meanwhile, finished the final two sets with 29 kills.
Wilson's two performances highlighted the day. Across the seven sets, she totaled 30 kills and 27 digs, reaching double figures in both categories in each match. Sebestyen combined for 34 digs, while APU held its two opponents to a combined.117 hitting percentage.
The Cougars also accomplished something neither opponent had experienced recently. OUAZ entered Friday on a 6-match winning streak, while Benedictine had won 5 of its previous 6 matches.
With the 2 victories, Azusa Pacific moves to 10-0, completing a demanding day in which the Cougars played 7 sets at 2 different Arizona venues and surrendered only one set.
Azusa Pacific returns to play Saturday with 2 more matches in the Phoenix area, taking on Park at 11 a.m. before playing Justice at 3 p.m.
