FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Azusa Pacific is probably wishing that all road trips could go as smoothly as this one, completing a 4-0 hike at the Oregon Trail Classic with sweeps of Pacific (Ore.) and Linfield.  The Cougars have yet to drop a set through four matches this season.

Match One:  AZUSA PACIFIC 3, Pacific 0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) 

The Cougars got off to a hot start thanks to three straight points from Jenelle Loewen via two kills and a block as part of an early 6-2 run.  Later in the first, Azusa Pacific would take full control of the set with a 10-1 run that gave them a 17-9 lead they would not relinquish.  Three straight kills from three different players would be enough to claim the set.  The second set saw the Cougars rattle off the first nine points before the host Boxers would claw their way back to a more competitive footing.  Jackie Winfield would keep the Cougars comfortably ahead, logging seven kills in the frame to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead. 

The final set was back and forth the entire way, with the Boxers holding a 22-20 lead late.  But Sarah Wilson rode to the rescue with three straight kills, and the Cougars would win the final five points of the match to finish off the sweep.  Winfield had 16 kills to go along with Wilson's 14, while Flora Sebestyen had 23 digs on the back row to pair with Wilson's 12.

Match Two:  AZUSA PACIFIC 3, Linfield 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-14) 

The final match of the weekend saw the Cougars get some breathing room in the first set with a 7-1 run to take a 15-11 lead, then close out the set winning eight of the last 11 points and never looked back again.  A monstrous 17-2 run that took the Cougars from four down to finishing off the second set was as much about the defense inducing Linfield to commit seven errors as anything the Cougars did offensively, but a Brooklyn Kostoff ace and timely hitting from the Loewen sisters certainly helped.

The momentum from that second set blitz carried over into a 12-5 lead to start the third, and by the time Riley Klatt delivered a kill for match point, it was all over but the shouting.  The Cougars hit .344 as a team in dismantling the Wildcats.  Wilson led the way with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Sebestyen had a team-high 12 digs and Kostoff served up four aces.

The Cougars are off to their first 4-0 start since 2017 and will look to add to that streak on Friday when they host their first tournament as a member of Division III, with matches against La Sierra (11:15 a.m.) and Caltech (2:30 p.m.) on their slate in the Felix Event Center.