AZUSA, Calif. — It was every last bit as good as it should be. The relaunch of the rivalry between Biola and Azusa Pacific went a full five sets on Friday night and was played in front of a packed out crowd of nearly 1,000 screaming supporters.
 
Ultimately, the hosting Cougars' blocking ability paid off down the stretch as seven fifth-set blocks, including four in the final five rallies helped APU secure a 15-8 win to close out the match 3-2 in favor of the team in black.
 
"I thought this was a great match," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "They came in and did really well in a really tough environment. That's a very good team. They're very balanced offensively, but we did a really good job."
 
Biola held a two sets to one advantage, but ran out of steam over the final two games as APU's head coach made some critical adjustments to help lift his team on top. The final score line read 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 16-25 and 8-15. Even when trailing by a wide margin in the last two sets the Eagles could never be counted out, because BU earned itself a big win back in set three despite trailing all the way up to the 15-point mark.
 
The Cougars were led by a 20-kill effort from Madison Ogas and a 16-kill run from Natalie Klapp. The Eagles' offensive effort was led by Sabrina Winslow (14) and Savannah Hilde (12). The tough APU block gave them a 13-7 advantage in that area, which kept it so that no Eagle hit over .200 and BU hit .171 for the match. By way of comparison, APU hit .297.
 
The litany of Cougars' tall hitters kept Biola's back row on its toes all night long. Tess Van Grouw, Sami Hover and Kailin O'Brien combined for 45 digs and helped Biola compile nearly 70 as a team for the night.
 
Brinley Beresford was kept busy from start to finish too. She was only subbed out twice and locked in 46 assists and four kills. She even got a solo block at one point, but it was not reflected in the stats.
 
"I'm proud of them. I thought we competed well and that's all we can ask for," said Seltzer.
 
The match had all the intrigue a top-flight NCAA Division II volleyball match should have with both sides coming out prepared and ready to fight to the end. Both teams came in undefeated in PacWest Conference play, and by the slimmest of margins the Cougars remain that way. The APU coach refers to this incarnation of the team as one of the best he's ever coached. That means you'll be in for a treat if you come out to Chase Gym when the two teams meet again on Oct. 7.
 
This match was also the first match of the annual Cornerstone Cup competition between the two rivals. The win secures the Cougars at least five points out of volleyball with just the one remaining regular season meeting scheduled. If Biola can claim the home contest they'd get five points too.
 
Biola falls to 7-3 (1-1 PacWest), while the red-hot Cougars move to 10-1 (3-0 PacWest). The Eagles have a chance to bounce right back TOMORROW NIGHT. Biola plays its first on-campus PacWest Conference competition against Point Loma (4-7, 1-2 PWC) at 7:00 p.m.
 
We will be giving away more RED SEA shirts to all the Biola students in attendance. Don't miss out!