Arch-rival Azusa Pacific added another win in the rivalry column Tuesday night against the Eagles, their first win over Biola since the 2006 season. Biola is in no danger of losing control of the all-time series record, with a 45-28 lead, but the loss on Tuesday was painful nonetheless, dropping the Eagles to 2-3 in the GSAC and 11-5 overall.
Neither team played particularly efficient volleyball, with both teams hitting below .130 for the night and passing and service errors were not in short supply. However, Azusa was able to minimize their mistakes enough to hang on for the thrilling four-set victory, 25-22,22-25, 25-23 and 25-20.
The Eagles simply had no answer to big-hitting senior Jill Baker and sophomore Amy Alkazin, both outside hitters for a strong Cougar front line. Bakers three-time All-American pedigree was shining on Tuesday night, leading all players with 17 kills and 19 digs, while adding two block assists.
Alkazin played as close to a perfect match as can be expected, recording 15 kills and no errors, while digging out seven balls and recording six blocks, one solo. The sophomore finished with a ridiculous .682 hitting percentage on 22 attempts and her emergence as a leader has to encourage Cougar fans as Baker puts the finishing touches on her career.
Eagles middle blocker-turned-outside hitter Kelsey Christopherson turned in a stellar performance at her new position, leading the Eagles with 15 kills in 47 total swings for a .234 hitting percentage. Christopherson, who has played middle for her entire career at Biola, has seemlessly made the transition to the outside when a rash of injuries took down Joy Talcott and Kim Russell.
Russell, who hopes to return next week, and Talcott have been sorely missed in their absence. One rotation for the Eagles featured a front court entirely composed of freshman, all of whom were pressed into action due to injuries and but have performed well despite their limited experience.
With Christopherson moved to the outside, freshman middle Rachel Buckley received the majority of the swings at the middle position. Buckley finished the Azusa contest with eight kills and five blocks, but six hitting errors limited her efficiency. Junior Tavea Hampton has also done well in her expanded role this season, hitting .310 on the season with just above a two kill-per-set average.
While libero Katie Stevens tallied an impressive 19 digs in the match, hidden in the boxscore is the fact that many of her digs came in crucial situations on seemingly unreachable hits from the powerful Cougar front line. Her passing kept the Eagles in several close points and was instrumental in the second set victory.
Stevens said that the Eagles missed a golden opportunity to upset the Cougars, but missed passes and poor serving hamstrung the effort.
“We need to adjust to the changes in our rotation and come out competitive and ready to win,” she said. “Right now we lack the killer instinct that you need to close out close sets and matches against quality opponents.”
The Cougars exposed what is becoming one of the Eagles glaring weaknesses, the lack of a strong opposite hitter. Without having a dependable opposite, freshman setter Justine Schoneveld was forced to frequently set the outside, allowing Azusa blockers to camp out in front of Christopherson and freshman Nicolette Mather. The Eagles are also missing a Jill Baker-type player whom they can rely on in a tight spot.
“We just don’t have anyone that can consistently just pound the ball down on the ten-foot line,” said Stevens.
The Eagles believe that they are close to crossing over to the next level, and their performance against top-competition confirms that belief. A bittersweet confirmation of the fact: Biola has yet to surrender a straight-set loss, indicating they are not afraid to compete but also that they have not been able to put together a complete game when it really counts.
Earlier in the week, the Eagles had no problems dispatching The Masters College in straight sets- rolling to 25-18, 25-15 and 25-13 victory.
Biola returns to action at 7 p.m. on Saturday at No. 3 Cal Baptist, who were upset Tuesday in Costa Mesa by Vanguard University.
