Azusa Pacific rallied to pull even with two set wins, but dropped the fifth set, giving Fresno Pacific its first conference win of the season in the 3-2 match (22-25, 22-25, 36-34, 25-20, 4-15).
The Cougars dropped the two opening sets by a three-point margin before forcing the third set into extra points and sealing the set victory 36-34.
Fresno Pacific challenged the Cougars’ early fourth-set lead with a pair of kills from Gabriela Macedo and Kathleen Anderson, making it a one-point set (12-11) midway through. Azusa Pacific, however, pulled away and sealed the five-point set win.
The Sunbirds quickly set a dominant lead in the fifth set with a 9-1 rally before closing out the Cougars 15-4.
Junior right-side hitter Mattie Shelford registered a team-high 16 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Joy Reinke who came away with 10. Junior setter Jaden Louie recorded a double-double with 10 digs and 33 assists while senior outside hitter Alicia Utke added 17 digs and six kills.
The Cougars will travel to San Francisco Sept. 25 to continue their conference schedule against Academy of Art.