IRVINE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific finished the regular season with a 10-match winning streak after beating Concordia and Fresno Pacific last week to book its spot in the NCAA West Regional for the third year in a row.
The Cougars wrapped up the regular season with the No. 25 ranking in the AVCA and the 12th-best win-loss record in the nation. They will find out at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific) on Monday where they land in the NCAA West Regional bracket.
Hawai`i Hilo has won six of its last seven matches to finish the regular season with a 23-7 record as the Vulcans wait to find out if they will go to the NCAA West Regional after narrowly missing a bid last year. Hawai`i Hilo earned wins over Chaminade, Biola, Point Loma and Concordia in November to put together a convincing resume for the NCAA to consider.
The NCAA West Regional will likely be held at Cal State San Bernardino, which has been the No. 1 team in each of the three West Region rankings leading up to the CCAA Tournament, which the Coyotes won. The first round will be held on December 5.
Chaminade finished in the top-3 in the PacWest standings for the second year in a row, winning the final three matches of the season. The Silverswords have now won at least 15 matches in five-consecutive seasons. Academy of Art finished the season with nine conference wins, which tied the program record set in 2010. The Urban Knights took Hawai`i Hilo to five-sets in the season finale.
Weekly awards for the week of Nov. 18-24
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sabrina Winslow, Biola
OH, Sr., 6-0 -- Clovis, Calif.
Biola won its final three matches of the season and Winslow recorded 45 kills in the 10 sets to help the Eagles finish the season with a 17-13 record. Winslow opened the week with 18 kills against Point Loma, which was her highest total of the season in a four-set match. In the Eagles’ sweep of Dominican, Winslow had 12 kills with only one error. She added 15 more kills in the season finale, finishing her career with five-consecutive matches with double-digit kills. Winslow also had 13 digs and four blocks for Biola, finishing the season with 278 kills, 135 digs and 65 blocks.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Bailey Henington, Azusa Pacific
L, Jr., 5-3 -- Sonora, Calif.
Henington helped Azusa Pacific finish the regular season with a 10-match winning streak and a 26-4 record after beating Concordia and Fresno Pacific to win the PacWest title. Henington had 60 digs on the week as she cracked the PacWest’s single-season top-10 digs list, pushing her season total to 632. In the regular season finale against Fresno Pacific, Henington recorded 31 digs, which is a season-high for a three-set match. She is now just 42 digs away from the PacWest single-season record.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Emily Wade, Hawai`i Hilo
MB, Fr., 6-3 -- Sacramento, Calif.
Wade helped Hawai`i Hilo finish the regular season with a pair of wins at home to strengthen the team’s chances of being selected to advance to the NCAA West Regional in two weeks. In the Vulcans’ five-set win over Academy of Art, Wade had 17 kills, 11 blocks and a .444 hitting percentage. The freshman also had six kills and five blocks against Holy Names as she became the PacWest leader in blocks per set.