California Baptist University
Azusa Pacific
War Of Attrition In Azusa
11/16/2011 8:11:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Lancers fell in five sets (25-16, 25-20, 29-31, 19-25, 15-8) to the NAIA's No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific, battling back from a 2-0 deficit to force a decisive fifth game.
"I thought the girls showed good heart battling against the No. 6 team in the NAIA," said Head Coach Ryan McGuyre. "They battled back against a very good team on the road and forced the fifth game. We just couldn't get it done. I'm still pleased with the direction we're going in right now."
The 3-2 match did offer one other positive for the Lancers, giving senior Bree Rauschenbach the chance to break the career sets played record. Just a week after rocketing to the top of the career aces list, Rauschenbach played the 486th set of her career, moving past Katrina Clark at the top of the all-time list.
It was Rauschenbach's fellow middle blocker Jelena Dragovic who had the most effective offensive night for CBU. Dragovic accounted for 23.5 of CBU's 79 points. She posted 18 kills with a .429 hitting percentage, and notched one solo block and seven blocking assists.
After falling behind 2-0, the Lancers put up an epic fight to avoid defeat in the third game.
CBU jumped ahead 6-0 early in the third, but the Cougars came back in a hurry, evening the game at 9-9 and setting the tone for the rest of the set.
The teams traded points and the lead back and forth, playing past the 25-point mark until they were tied at 29-29. Ingrid Carmona broke the tie with a kill on a set from Jordyn Siko, and then Kattie Givens and Dragovic combined on the game winning block.
CBU took the fourth with an impressive six-point win, but couldn't complete the comeback as the home team Cougars dominated play in the final game.
The Lancers hit just .183 for the match and APU hit .223. CBU did out-block the Cougars 12-8.
Carmona led all players with 23 kills and Jackie Landers led APU with 21.
With the loss CBU falls to 19-10 while APU improves to 28-6.
The Lancers begin NCCAA postseason play on Thursday, facing The Master's at home in an NCCAA regional matchup.
