NEWBERG, Ore. – Volleyball made a smooth adjustment in their first day of action in Division III, sweeping both Willamette and host George Fox on day one of the Oregon Trail Classic at the Wheeler Sports Center.
Match One: AZUSA PACIFIC 3, Willamette 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20)
After allowing the Bearcats a quick 5-1 lead out of the gate, the Cougars pounced with a 10-1 run to take the lead and never trailed again in the opening set. The second set again saw the Cougars take control with a dominant run in the middle, turning an early 6-3 deficit into a commanding 16-8 lead before having to once again hang on due to a late Bearcat run. Sarah Wilson and Jackie Winfield were responsible for the majority of the attacks while Flora Sebestyen carried the day on the back line, filling in as the libero. The third set again followed a similar formula, with the Cougars assuming the lead with a run in the middle of the set and withstanding a late charge by Willamette, closing the match out by winning five of the last six points.
Match Two: AZUSA PACIFIC 3, George Fox 0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-14)
A raucous home crowd kept the host Bruins in the first set, but the Cougars would dominate the latter two sets en route to a 2-0 start to the season. Azusa Pacific once again took a commanding lead in the opener with a mid-set run, going ahead by as many as 10 points at 23-13. But the Bruins made a contest of it by winning the next 8 points before a Taylor Klatt kill to end the run. Janelle Loewen would secure the set with a kill two points later.
The Cougars would dominate the second set, at one point winning 21 out of 25 points. And the third set would see the Cougars put together a bunch of small runs to slowly pull away. Over the final two sets, Azusa Pacific hit a blistering .472, with 30 kills against just 4 errors in that stretch. Wilson had 16 kills to pace the offense, while Sebestyen had 13 digs on the back row.
Azusa Pacific (2-0) will look to add to its collection of wins in Oregon as they move from Newberg to Forest Grove for Saturday's action. The Cougars will take on host Pacific at 10:30 a.m. before closing the weekend against Linfield at 3:30 p.m.
