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team celly bu vs apu volleyball
2
Azusa Pacific APU 4-5,0-1 PacWest
3
Winner Biola BIO 4-4,1-0 PacWest
Azusa Pacific APU
4-5,0-1 PacWest
2
Final
3
Biola BIO
4-4,1-0 PacWest
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Azusa Pacific APU 25 25 21 23 11 (2)
Biola BIO 20 23 25 25 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Ethan McGarvey, Sports Information Director

Cornerstone Cup Comeback

Team was the focus on Wednesday, as the Eagles climbed back for a five-set win in their home opener against APU.

LA MIRADA --- The fight was unstoppable from the Biola volleyball squad on Wednesday night. In front of their home crowd for the first time in 2022, the Eagles would not quit in a battle against their top rival in Azusa Pacific (4-5, 0-1 PacWest). Biola (4-4, 1-0 PacWest) came out on top in the high-profile clash, netting a 3-2 win in reverse sweep fashion.

"The team did a fantastic job staying in it after going down two sets. Each one of them showed great heart in a tough matchup against a strong opponent," said head coach Aaron Seltzer.

For the fourth-straight contest, BU took the floor in a bout with a ranked or receiving votes opponent. APU came into town with one more win on the season, while each team looked to start off PacWest play with a win.

The home crowd delivered in their first appearance for the volleyball squad, creating an electric experience in Chase Gym. "I'm thankful to the Biola fans for coming out and supporting us." added Seltzer. The energy was crucial in the five-set thriller.

The turnaround began in the third set for BU, due to serving prowess and key blocks. The offensive attack actually favored APU, as the visitors looked to complete a clean sweep. Kills leaned toward the Cougars at 9-7 but the difference in the set came at the service line. Six BU aces and five APU service errors gave 11 fast points to BU. The Eagles added a pair of blocks to a pair of aces to account for two five-point runs in the set.

Despite grabbing the momentum, Biola was still on the backfoot, down 2-1 in sets. With little room for error, BU made its move early in the fourth set.

Biola opened up a 9-4 lead with the help of two kills from Emily Smith and a service ace from Anna Aubele. The Eagles maintained that edge through the middle part of the set, before the Cougars made their final push. The first set opportunity for BU came at 24-20 but the final point did not come easy. APU fought off the next three set-points for the Eagles before Aubele officially forced the fifth set with a killer spike. 

Everything had shifted heading into the fifth set. Biola had taken control and looked like a new team had taken the floor. 

The flow continued with a huge run to start the final set. BU earned the serve and Abby Brewster did not stop serving until the Eagles were up 5-0. Aubele piled on three kills in the stretch, forcing a quick timeout from APU. 

The Cougars clawed back with strong rallies of their own. As the match drew closer to its end, BU held just a 11-10 lead in the fifth.

Back-to-back kills from Aubele pushed Biola back into the driver's seat with just two points to go. Madison Beebe added an exclamation point with a kill to bring the score to 14, before an APU attack error ended the match for a Biola victory.

A whole team effort was needed in Wednesday's victory. All 11 Eagles who took the floor grabbed at least one dig in the contest with many of them making diving plays to keep the ball alive.



"It took us two games to realize, it's just us on the court," commented Anna Aubele after the match. "We are going to play for each other and play for Jesus. That change of mindset helped us turn things around."

Aubele was a machine on the attack, accumulating 20 kills on 44 attacks for a .227 hitting percentage. The sophomore transfer took full advantage of her first match inside Chase Gym, adding on three aces and three blocks for 25 points. 

Brewster was the serving and setting maestro on Wednesday. The senior notched a career-best with five aces in the contest, while tacking on 51 assists and 11 digs for a double-double.

The stat sheet was stuffed with impressive performances, including three solo blocks and five block assists from Abigail Copeland, 10 kills from Beebe and double-digit digs from Brewster, Bethany Bellfi, Brianna Bellfi and Aubele who also completed a double-double.

The Eagles will be back in action on the road at Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
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