After a tough loss last week to Fresno Pacific, the Eagles got back on track this week with wins over The Masters College and arch rival Azusa Pacific.

The Masters made the trip to La Mirada on Saturday night and got steamrolled by the Eagles, falling in straight sets 25-21, 25-13 and 25-20. Senior Kelsey Mitchell reached a career milestone in the match, recording her 1,000th kill.

On Tuesday the Eagles hosted Azusa Pacific, who entered the match ranked No. 8 and claiming a 21-9 record. They appeared hungry for a victory as they took on the shorthanded Biola squad without senior outside hitter Jessica Buffum and junior middle Meghan Cunningham. It showed in the first set as Azusa fought back from an early 4-0 deficit to tie the game at nine-all. The teams traded points to 15-15 before Azusa began to pull away, using a late 7-1 run to ice the game.

The Eagles sorely missed Buffum, despite admirable efforts from freshman outside hitters Joy Talcott and Kim Russell. Senior outside hitter Maggie McGill also saw increased action due to Buffum’s absence, but there was no replacing the senior, who is second on the team in total kills.

Biola came back strong in the second set, rallying behind senior outside hitter Meghan Warketin’s serving. Warkentin’s powerful serve forced several bad passes that led to easy Biola points, and she finished the night with four aces. Her serving led the Eagles to an early 8-2 lead, but Azusa again refused to back down and the Cougars eventually fell 25-22.

In the third set, Biola again jumped to an early lead only to watch Azusa whittle it down late in the set. However, the Eagles hung on to win it 25-22.

The Eagles had a chance to end it in the fourth, but Buffum’s absence was felt as they struggled to a .149 hitting percentage. Azusa’s junior All-American Jill Baker found herself hitting against a weakened Biola front line that struggled at times to put the ball away or stop her attacks. Despite their woes, the Eagles were in the game until the last point, holding serve at 23-24 when an Azusa kill forced a fifth game. Azusa had its best game of the night offensively, rolling to a .289 hitting percentage.

The fifth set woke up the fans at Chase Gymnasium, who showed up in droves for the Eagles last home game. The crowd of nearly 1,200 was on their feet only to see two quick Azusa points before a huge Warkentin kill started the Eagles on a 9-2 run. Biola hung on as Azusa again refused to go away, eventually winning 15-11.

The closely matched teams were supported by the box score, which showed eerily similar statistics for the teams. Both teams rang up identical total attacks and blocks, and were only also nearly equal in kills, set assists, digs, and errors.

With the win, the Eagles held on to their number two spot nationally and in the GSAC, something that senior Maggie McGill says is, “Fun to look at but it is the end result that counts.” As Biola looks forward to the national tournament next month, a healthy lineup has to be their top priority. They will have two weeks off after their last game Saturday at Cal Baptist.