Cougars Fall Short In Playoffs Despite Comeback Effort

This article was originally published in ZU News.

Azusa Pacific’s volleyball team had their best season since 2013, making it to the NCAA Division II West Region Championships, where they fell just short of a comeback win against California State University San Bernadino.

The Cougars dropped the first two sets, 10-25 and 23-25, before coming back to win the third and fourth sets 25-14 and 25-11. They lost the final set 13-15.

“Cal State San Bernardino did a great job out there. They got us out of rhythm and they served really well. They made it a challenge for us to get in rhythm as a team,” head coach Chris Keife said. “The girls battled and did a nice job, being down 0-2, to come back in five and lose 15-13. That showed a lot of our character. I’m proud of the girls.”

APU struggled to put points together in the first set. CSUSB opened up a 5-0 lead and didn’t relent as they took the set 25-10.

The second set was a different story. APU came out with a different level of intensity. They exchanged points equally until it was 7-7. The Cougars went on a run, grabbing their biggest lead of five points at 16-11. CSUSB took a time-out and was able to comeback after, tying it up at 17 a piece, before grabbing the lead and winning 25-23.

Even though they dropped the second set, Keife said that they played a lot better.

“A lot of it was our execution. We made sure that our girls were getting behind the ball from our passes. We tried going to the hot hitter out there with our sets,” Keife said. “We talked about being more physical. We were less timid in general, just going for it. If we’re going to go, we needed to just go for it.”

Junior setter Kaylen Higa helped the Cougars in this set. She led the team with 26 assists.

“The passing was a big factor in it. We struggled in the first set to find our rhythm. As we went onto sets two, three and four we got more confident with our passing and our hitters were more hungry,” Higa said. “They wanted to put away balls and show them that we’re here for a fight and we’re not going to back down.”

The third set started off in a similar way to the second. APU and CSUSB traded points until it was tied 8-8. The Cougars grabbed a four point lead, 13-9, before CSUSB started to comeback again.

APU led 16-14 when sophomore libero Bailey Henington started to serve. Henington served nine times in a row as the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to close the set 25-14.

“I was just trying to get it in and play good defense. I love serving and I love the game,” Henington said. “Basically I needed to just stay calm for my teammates, and in return they kept my serve for me.”

Henington had a season high three aces on the night. She also led the team with 25 digs.

The Cougars played a strong fourth set as well, coming back from a four point deficit to tie it up at 11. They grabbed a three point lead and didn’t relinquish it, winning the set 25-21.

The final set came down to the wire as the lead changed 10 times, before CSUSB put it away, 15-13.

“We haven’t played Cal State San Bernardino since I’ve been at APU for 14 years. This was our first time seeing them,” Keife said. “It was a great environment. The fans did a great job. I can see there’s something to that. With the first two sets, we did struggle. I think there was some pressure on us. I’ve talked to the girls about it. We’ve got to learn from this, learn in the moments we struggle, learn in the moments we do great and move on to next season.”

Some of the other standout performances of the night included junior outside hitters Madison Ogas and Natalie Klapp and sophomore middle blockers Julianne Miller and Sara Wagenveld.

Ogas led the team with 15 kills on the night, while Klapp was second on the team in both kills (10) and digs (18). Miller also recorded 10 kills, while Wagenveld had nine, and both middle blockers had also tallied three blocks each.

The Cougars finish their 2017 season with an overall record of 22-7, but are already looking forward to the future. “Next season” were the two words that were on the minds and lips of APU players and spectators. Every player will be returning next season, as this year’s team was comprised of four juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen.

“Last year was a huge growth for us. We started five freshmen last season. Going into this season, we’re still very underclassmen heavy. We lose nobody on this roster and we’re adding a few more for next season,” Keife said. “I look at the growth we had from last year, we won nine of our last 10 matches ending the season last year and we took that going forward into this season as well. Let’s look forward to what just occurred. I’m expecting to see the same growth from next year to this year as well.”

Henington echoed what Keife said, saying she’s already ready for next season.

“Honestly, I’m ready for spring. I’m ready to get back at it again. This was definitely a new experience for all of us. It was so much fun. San Bernardino put up a good fight and we were able to fight back in sets three and four,” Henington said. “I’m just excited about going into spring and bettering our abilities for next fall.”

Volleyball Victorious In Final Home Game Of The Season

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The Azusa Pacific volleyball team improved to 20-5 on the season with a 3-0 set victory over Hawai’i Hilo. The Cougars won the three sets by a score of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-19.

This was APU’s final home game of the season. They finished the season with a 9-1 record at home, a team best effort since 2013. Junior outside hitter Madison Ogas noted the atmosphere that playing at home provides.

“It’s great to play at home, especially with the new court. The crowd really pulled through and they’ve always been there for us,” Ogas said. “It was a really fun year playing at home.”

The team got a new court at the beginning of this season. They only use it for games, not in practice. Junior outside hitter Natalie Klapp said she enjoyed the new court too.

“Home games are our favorite games to play because of the court. It’s so nice and easy on the body,” Klapp said. “The atmosphere is great. We’ve had more fans here than any other season.”

Klapp finished fourth on the team in kills on the night with six and second on the team in digs with 10.

APU and Hilo traded points back and forth in the first set until the score was 12-11. From there, the Cougars’ offense went on the attack and they won 13 of the last 16 points to take the set 25-14. Head coach Chris Keife said that Hilo exploited the Cougars’ weaknesses.

“Hilo did a nice job of exploiting some of the things that we need to work on, a few of our weaknesses. We closed that up and started making some plays and executed better defensively,” Keife said. “Offensively, we did a nice job of keeping the ball in play and being aggressive with our attacks. We made good decisions with the plays given us.”

Ogas said that the team was playing too soft at first, but they recognized what they had to do.

“I think we realized that we’re a lot better than this team and we were kind of playing with them at first, but then we kicked it into gear,” Ogas said.

The Cougars controlled the second set easily, with a five point lead for most of the set.

“It’s hard playing against teams that you know you’re better than. It’s easy to play down to their level,” Klapp said. “In the second game we focused on playing with more energy and more grit.”

Hilo started the third set with a lead and kept it for over half of the set, leading by as much as four points. However, APU was able to come back and tie it at 16-16, before shutting Hilo down to win the final set, 25-19.

“We thought it was close to being over, but then we realized that we had to finish the game out. We finished strong,” Ogas said.

Ogas tied for first on the night in kills with 13 and finished third in digs with six. APU was also led by sophomore middle blocker Sara Wagenveld who also had 13 kills and sophomore middle blocker Julianne Miller who had 12 kills. Miller notched the only solo block of the night. Junior setter Kaylen Higa led the team with 17 assists and sophomore libero Bailey Hennington finished with 18 digs.

“I feel our girls are doing pretty mature things for a young team. Even with our youth out on the court, our girls are doing a nice job of taking care of business when we need to, beating the teams that we need to take care of,” Keife said. “It’s exciting not just for this year, to finish strong, but also for the future of APU.”

Keife focused on the idea of finishing strong. Currently APU has a one game lead on Biola, who is 20-6 on the season. The Cougars are second in the PacWest conference only to Cal Baptist, who are 25-0 and ranked second nationally in NCAA Division II.

“Every team that we’re playing from here on out, we need to make sure that we show up and play well,” Keife said.

APU sits in fifth place in the western region in D-II. The top eight teams from the region will make the postseason; the Cougars will find out if they make the postseason on Nov. 20. Before that, they have three more games, all on the road.

Ogas said that she is not worried about Biola catching up in the last few games.

“I think we’re going to prevail on top,” Ogas said. “We know that we’re the stronger team and we can do really well.”

APU has three games left in the regular season. They will prepare to take on Dixie State in Utah on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Men's Basketball Works On Chemistry Ahead Of Season

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The men’s basketball team will return only two starters from last year as they look to improve from their 16-15 record of last season. Fortunately, the two starters that are returning are both seniors that led the Cougars last year.

Senior forward Corey Langerveld averaged 12.9 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game last year. Langerveld trained to be more aggressive in the offseason.

“I’m trying to develop an aggressive mindset. I need to get to the free throw line a lot more. A lot of the workouts I did were focusing on seeking contact, going to the rim and not just settling for three pointers,” Langerveld said.

The Cougars have played two exhibition games so far. They lost to The Master’s , the fifth ranked team in the NAIA division, by a score of 75-87. APU won their second game against Westcliff 92-49.

“Going into that game, we knew that it was really just about finding our rhythm. We’re a relatively new team, in that half the guys that are going to be playing a lot are brand new,” Langerveld said. “We worked on specific plays and actions that coach wanted us to develop on offense. It was a good opportunity for us to go out and play with one another against another team.”

A total of 12 players got the chance to play against Westcliff. For some, it was their first time getting playing time in a game for APU.

Head coach Justin Leslie said that the team is still working on their chemistry.

“I think we had a good productive offseason with our returners and with the younger guys as well who will be stepping into bigger roles this year,” Leslie said. “We do have some transfers that are going to play significant roles for us that I’m excited about. We just have to develop the chemistry. There’s no substitute for time. We’re going to be a work in progress for a while, but I like what we have and ultimately it’s going to add up to a good group.”

The Cougars first two games of the season are against UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona, on Nov. 10-11. Leslie said that the team will need to play very well in these games.

“They’re both really good so we’ll need to play really well. We need to guard. I think we’ve got a chance to be a good defensive team, to be physical and hard to penetrate. That’s something that I’m looking to lean on early,” Leslie said. “On the offensive side we need to get in the paint and have good decision making. We can’t just sit outside and chuck three’s. We’ve got to put pressure on the heart of the defense. We’re working hard on that.”

Senior forward Petar Kutlesic noted the efforts the team has made to improve.

“A lot of guys are new to the offense and new to the system,” Kutlesic said. “They might be putting too much pressure on themselves right now, but that’s normal for the beginning of the season. Once everybody knows their role, we’ll be fine.”

The Pacific West conference preseason rankings were released last week. APU was projected to finish fifth in the conference.

“If you don’t think you’re going to finish higher, then I don’t think you have the right mindset going in. At the same time, we have a lot of new guys, so it’s going to be a process to get where we need to be,” Langerveld said. “We’re not in PacWest championship form right now. It’s more about getting to embrace the process of getting to where we need to be as a team. I think fifth is a good reflection of how we played last year. I don’t think anyone feels disrespected by that. I think we’ll finish higher.”

Leslie gave less regard to the preseason ranking.

“To be perfectly honest, I think the whole preseason poll is a joke. We don’t do anything to publish our recruiting. Every year it’s ironic that no newcomers make the all-conference team [in the preseason poll] and every year the all-conference team has newcomers on it when the end of the year rolls around,” Leslie said. “I don’t think it’s a very accurate indicator of what’s actually going to transpire in the season. I put no stock in it whatsoever. Frankly, teams that focus on their preseason don’t usually do too well in the postseason.”

Both Langerveld and Kutlesic said they were looking forward to the games against Cal Baptist the most. Langerveld said he’s excited to go to their new arena and Kutlesic said he wants to beat them one last time, before they move to Division I next year. Leslie is looking forward to a different matchup.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s something that I lived through for a lot of years as a player and a coach. It’s the type of rivalry that we need. It brings out the best in both schools. That’s one of the highlights of the season, having them back in the conference.”

Swim Takes Two Wins In Alaska

This article was originally published in ZU News.

APU’s swim team won their first two dual meets of the season in Alaska against the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a score of 107-98 and 106-99.

“We came into the meet thinking we could win. We had a really positive attitude and we won both days,” senior Alyse Darnall said. “In the past three years, they’ve beat us, so it was cool to win both days this time.”

The Cougars had five first place finishes in the first meet on Oct. 20. These included junior Elodie Poo Cheong winning the 200-meter IM and the 100-meter freestyle, senior Rosalee Mira Santa Ana winning the 1000-meter free and 500-meter free and a team win in the 200-meter free relay.

“Personally, I didn’t do the best. But this meet wasn’t about times, it was about placing well. I didn’t have the best times this weekend, but that was okay,” Darnall said. “Elodie swam really well in her events. Our team really stepped it up this weekend.”

Swimming head coach Tim Kyle echoed Darnall’s team effort mentality.

“We had a very solid team effort. I’m content with where we’re at, but we have some work to do. I’m happy that our team really put forth their best effort at this point in the season. It was a good showing for us,” Kyle said. “We had a lot of people score points from the top to the bottom.”

Another member of the team that contributed greatly was junior Abigail Wiet.

“It went pretty well. I saw a lot of areas that I can build on. My times were all right. It just showed that I have some things to work on for the rest of the season,” Wiet said. “I’ve got some more training to do on my distance events. I need to get that extra push at the end of my events.”

Wiet won the 400-meter IM with a time of 4:43.11. She also finished as a runner-up in the 200-meter backstroke.

“I was just focused on the little things. It was a really good swim for me at this point in the season and it showed that my training has gone well,” Wiet said. “This team really battled through the meet today. Everyone did what they needed to do for us to win. It was really cool to see everyone contribute.”

Wiet said that she enjoyed the trip to Alaska because of how close it causes the team to get.

“I think it really brings us closer. It’s good team bonding. Alaska’s a good team, so it helps us figure out how we’re progressing through the season,” Wiet said.

Darnall said she also enjoyed the trip up north.

“It’s fun to get away from L.A., it can be super crowded and it’s nice to come out here,” Darnall said. “Being from Oregon, I love winter and it was nice to come up here and actually experience that before I go home for Thanksgiving.”

Kyle echoes how grateful he was for the team to get to go to Alaska every year.

“We’re just so blessed to come up here every year as a team. I’m really thankful to God for us to come up here and continually represent the university,” Kyle said.

The Cougars will return to APU to host their only home meet of the season against Biola on Nov. 4.

“I’m looking forward to being back at APU. When we’re at our home pool, we do really well,” Wiet said. “So I’m looking forward to some fast times, to see how much better we can get in the next two weeks.”

Kyle also noted the significance of hosting a meet at home.

“It’s always a great time for us to have a meet at home, to bring students and faculty to a meet. The team gets really excited about that,” Kyle said. “We’re looking forward to that support and seeing what we can do for the home crowd.”

Cross Country Finishes Strong at PacWest Championships

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the PacWest Championships on Oct. 21 in Belmont, Calif.

Senior Jeremy Porter led the men’s side with a second place finish. Porter ended the race with a time of 24:55.8, only 2.1 seconds behind the first place runner.

“It was just a fun race overall,” Porter said. “Earlier on this year, I definitely saw some challenges facing down the beginning of the season. I saw a big road ahead of me, a long one. It was arduous and really hard to get to the spot where I’m at right now. When you get to a place where you know how much you fought through to get there… I just really appreciate it.”

This was one of Porter’s fastest times this season. He finished in first place at the Biola Invitational and the Coyote Challenge in September.

“It was my last PacWest race. It was a good way to finish it off and I’m happy with how it went. I’m ready for the next race coming up,” Porter said.

Cross country head coach Preston Grey said he was happy with the way Porter ran.

“He definitely wanted to get the win, but the other two guys he was running with, all three are All-American caliber guys. If he runs the same way at regionals, he’s got a great chance of going to nationals,” Grey said.

Grey expressed that the team performed well overall today, though they have some things to work on.

“It was definitely solid. We’re getting better every year,” Grey said. “For the men’s team, we thought we were going to be right in that mix somewhere. The girls were only two points out of fourth. We would have liked to have bridged that gap, but there’s a lot to build on for both sides. There are some good things we can take away from this one.”

The men’s team finished with a score of 111, good for fourth place out of 12 teams. There were a total of 89 runners in the men’s competition.

Porter reflected on his close finish at the end of the race.

“It definitely gives you a sense of humility. I didn’t know exactly how good those guys were coming into this race. That was the first time I competed against them. It humbles you because it shows you how talented they are and how quickly things can change,” Porter said. ” I honestly was going through that last 100 meters thinking I was going to take the race.”

Senior Cody Drisko also represented the Cougars, finishing 11th overall with a time of 25:49.2, only three seconds outside of finishing in the top 10. The men’s team had one other finisher in the top 25, freshman Nathaniel Tamminga, who finished 23rd with a time of 26:27.8.

Grey noted that the team is young and they performed well given the circumstances.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids. This was their first championship race. They’re learning how to run at that level,” Grey said. “The girls didn’t get up quite fast enough and had to do a lot of work late. They finished strong. For the guys, there’s a couple spots here and there where we can pick up some extra points. We’re working on improving that.”

Junior Elise Larson was the top runner for the Cougars on the women’s side. She finished 11th overall with a time of 22:01.3, only 3.5 seconds out of a top 10 finish.

“I really wanted to focus on racing strategy and being smart about it. The race was very difficult. I focused on being able to pass in the last half of the race,” Larson said. “I was in the spot that I aimed for. However, in the next meet I want to set my sights high and go for as high of a place as I can.”

Larson was joined by freshman Jenna Wilson, who ended up in 15th place with a time of 22:19.9. Wilson and Larson have been the top runners for the women’s team at every race this season. Wilson’s top finish of the season was fourth place at the Coyote Challenge, where Larson finished in seventh.

“She’s our top returner coming back. She and Jenna have kind of been sharing that number one spot,” Grey said on Larson’s performance. “Our goal was making the top 10 [overall runners]. We were right there, really close. The four or five top girls [in the conference] are probably All-Americans. So we’re right on the cusp of breaking into that elite group.”

Porter is already focused on regionals, which will take place in Oregon on Nov. 4.

“I’m looking forward to getting to compete against so many good guys. The west region is so deep. I’ve been racing them for four years. I’m looking forward for competing for the championship. This is my first year with an actual chance to do that, so I’m happy,” Porter said. “I just hope next time goes even better than today went.”

Larson echoed her excitement for regionals as well, saying the team would be ready for them.

“We’re going to have a little more spring in our step when we train,” Larson said. “I’m excited for it to be a fast race. It’s a really good course. If we keep doing what we’re doing, it’s going to put us in a good spot.”

Frank & Schmid Represent APU At Oracle Cup

This article was originally published in ZU News.

For the sixth straight year, Azusa Pacific’s men’s tennis has a NCAA Division II (D-II) national champion. For the first time in those six years, it is not a singles champion.

Junior Oliver Frank and senior Christian Schmid are the first APU doubles team to become the D-II champion. They played three rounds at the ITA Oracle Cup in Rome, Ga. from Oct. 11-15 to earn the doubles title.

“It’s the first time anybody has done that in the history of the program. It’s always cool to make history on the trip,” assistant coach Kirby Ronning said. “There are some really positive things to take away from the trip.”

After winning the D-II doubles title, Frank and Schmid entered the next round. Here they competed for a wild card spot to the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. They competed against the NAIA champion and the champion of the junior college division (JUCO).

Frank and Schmid won their first match of this round against the JUCO champion Jorge Martinez and Marcus Walters from Tyler Junior College on Saturday night.

Frank said that this was the highlight of the tournament for him.

“The match we played last night was so intense. It went for over three hours,” Frank said. “It was three hard sets. We started in the daylight and finished under the bright lights [at night].”

The final score was 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(6). All three sets went longer than normal matches, with two going to tiebreakers.

“We had multiple matches and set points against us. It seemed like it would not go our way, but we stepped it up and played a great match,” Schmid said.

Ronning said it was incredible to see and was one of his highlights as a coach at APU.

“It was some of the best doubles that I’ve watched in person as a coach,” Ronning said. “The guys fought off a couple match points and were able to play the match out at a really high level. They might have even surprised themselves a little with how well they played in that match. It was a really good step towards where they want to be for the spring.”

In their final match of the tournament, Frank and Schmid lost to the NAIA doubles champion Kevin Konfederak and Gilad Berman of Georgia Gwinnett on Sunday morning.

“I learned to focus on some aspects a little more. They were very good returners and had big serves,” Frank said. “The serves and returns, the very first shots, are just crucial. If they’re not good, we can’t win against players like that.”

The final score of the match was 4-6, 4-6.

“The only reason why they beat us today was because of their serves and returns. Theirs were a little more consistent,” Schmid said.

Frank also played in the singles half of the Oracle Cup. He was the D-II champion last year where he beat the D-III and the NAIA champions. This year he won the first round and the semifinal before falling to Kiranpal Pannu of Columbus State by a score of 7-6, 6-7, 2-6. Frank ended up in second place overall in D-II for singles.

On the doubles side, this was only the second tournament that Frank and Schmid played together. The first was the ITA Western Regionals tournament two weeks ago.

“I think we already have really good chemistry,” Schmid said. “We’ve known each other for a really long time, before we even came to APU. He knows my game style and I know his.”

The Cougars first match as a team isn’t until Feb. 3, but Frank and Schmid are already thinking about the season.

“I’m looking forward to our doubles lineup this year. We have three consistent and strong doubles teams,” Schmid said. “We could switch any spot with each other and it would still work. That should give us enough to play the higher-ranked teams in the nation and beat them finally.”

Cougars' Soccer Struggles Continue In Cornerstone Cup

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The first Cornerstone Cup games for both the men’s and women’s soccer didn’t go in the Cougars’ direction. The women’s game ended in a tie, 1-1, after two goals in the first two minutes. The men’s game ended in a 0-2 loss, with Biola scoring twice in the final eight minutes.

Women’s Soccer

“Our girls knew the significance of it. They were a part of building on what the volleyball team had done,” head coach Don Lawrence said. “Biola is a good team. They’re very athletic and well coached. We had a battle on our hands. We couldn’t get a hold of ourselves in the first half, but we did better in the second half.”

Freshman midfielder Randy Macadangdang scored APU’s only goal two minutes into the game. Biola then came racing back across the field and scored on a penalty kick from Paula-Marie Labate only 20 seconds later.

Neither team scored for the rest of the game, though both had plenty of chances. APU took seven shots, including three on goal. Biola took 17 shots with seven of them on goal. APU had three corner kicks to Biola’s seven. The Cougars did outplay Biola in one important regard, they only had four fouls on the night while Biola had 16.

Junior defender Brook Gower said she was proud of the way the team played.

“We had some really good chances. We didn’t give up,” Gower said. “It wasn’t our best game, but we played until the last minute and didn’t let them score.”

In the second overtime of the game with a little over a minute remaining, a Biola player took a shot that soared through the air and looked like it might go in the goal, before it bounced off the crossbar.

“My heart dropped right then,” Gower said. “I didn’t know if it was going in. I thought Zoey [Bauman, the Cougars’ starting goalkeeper] would have saved it if it was. I have a lot of faith in her. But my first instinct was just to get it out immediately after it hit the crossbar.”

Lawrence was even more relieved than Gower when he saw the ball bounce off.

“We’ve had two games this year in overtime with a similar shot where it hit the crossbar and went into the goal instead of bouncing off. We lost to Chico State and Sonoma State on those. We got a little bit of luck tonight,” Lawrence said.

Gower said she would have liked to win the first soccer game of the Cornerstone Cup, especially in front of the home crowd.

“I like what we’re doing. I like that we’re trying to bring the rivalry back,” Gower said. “It was especially good to have all the other athletes come support us. It felt really good to have such a fanbase.”

Lawrence saw this game as a very significant one. It was not the first time he had coached against Biola.

“Since I came here in 1973 as an assistant basketball coach, that rivalry for me is the biggest thing,” Lawrence said. “For me it probably meant a lot more than for some of these young girls. This is the first time they have ever played Biola.”

Lawrence said the team played well, given that they were without their top scorer and top defensive back.

“We have a rough stretch ahead of us. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but if this crew continues to improve the way they’ve improved since the beginning of the year, we’ve got a good shot of taking this thing [the conference title],” Lawrence said. “We’ve got to make sure that we take it one game at a time, one half at a time, one play at a time. That’s been a little difficult for them.”

After the Biola game, the women’s team played two more games against Dominican and Notre Dame de Namur. Both games resulted in wins for the Cougars, moving them to a 5-3-2 on the season. They will play at home on Saturday against Hawaii Pacific at 5 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

Men’s Soccer

“The first half was the best half we played all season. We moved the ball well and played with a crispness and precision we haven’t had yet,” head coach Dave Blomquist said. “The second half we came out a flat and we know as a team we can’t do that. We have to stay at a high level.”

Blomquist emphasized the imperativeness of finishing strong in the second half. This was also echoed by senior midfielder Zach McCollum.

“We need to work on not letting up in the second half. We just couldn’t put it away,” McCollum said.

McCollum believed that APU played better than Biola for most of the game.

“Finishing is our biggest problem. We get the ball in really good positions but we’re not going to win any games unless we put it in the net. That’s what it comes down to,” McCollum said. “I honestly think we played them off of the park. We moved the ball really well. They barely had any chances.”

Blomquist acknowledged that the team needs to work on their offense.

“Our back four is moving the ball well and defending almost every play. The midfield three was fantastic in the first half, but somewhat stagnant in the second half,” Blomquist said. “In the front three, we’re still searching for the combination of players that’s going to make a difference.”

After the loss to Biola, the men’s team won against Dominican, but lost to Notre Dame de Namur, and have now fallen to an overall record of 2-8-1. They will play at home on Saturday against Hawaii Pacific at 7:30 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

Swim & Dive Has High Goals With New Faces

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The APU swim and dive team brought in six freshmen this year to join a team that sent seven total athletes to national competition last year.

Senior Alyse Darnall, the captain of the team, is looking forward to the season ahead of them.

“I’m really excited just to see how this team does. We have some really fast girls that have come on to the team this year,” Darnall said. “Swimming has been a part of our lives for a long time. For me, it’s been over 11 years and this is my last ‘hoorah’ in swim and in school.”

Darnall noted the misconception that swimming is only an individual sport.

“I’m excited to see how our team comes together,” Darnall said. “Swimming is an individual sport, but we do have to come together on a lot of things. In order for each of us to compete well individually, you need your team there supporting you.”

The team has been in the offseason since nationals wrapped up in March. Their season lasts from October through March, one of the longest seasons of any sport at APU.

“Going for six months out of the year, with doubles every day, gets really tiring and you get burnt out of the sport,” Darnall said.

To stay prepared in the offseason, Darnall practiced with her old club team in Oregon over the summer. She said that she also did a lot of CrossFit to stay in shape.

Darnall said she had a specific aspiration for the future.

“As a swimmer, there’s only been one goal that I’ve ever had. People always ask if I’m going to go to the Olympics. But the amount of swimmers that actually go to the Olympics is so small. I just kind of laugh when they ask that,” Darnall said. “My one goal is to go to nationals. I don’t care if that’s for a relay or an individual event, I just want to go for that experience.”

Darnall has been the leader of the team thus far, but she has gotten help from junior Nicole Johnson.

“Alyse is our only captain this year, so I’ve been helping her out with whatever she needs. Having that role of leadership on the team is good to make sure she isn’t alone,” Johnson said.

Johnson has been helping the freshmen get acclimated to the team at APU.

“So far they have all been really great. We’ve mixed up the lanes that we swim in with the freshmen,” Johnson said. “Just a chance to get to know them during a two hour practice has been really good so far.”

Johnson said she’s had fun getting to know the freshmen, but swimming in not always fun. She noted the struggle of balancing swimming and school.

“It’s really hard. I have swim, school and a job too. You have to have time management and wake up with a mentally positive attitude,” Johnson said. “Our coach is really gracious if we have to get out early to go to class, or have to finish an assignment.”

Johnson said that her motivation comes from the team’s success last season.

“We’re higher up in the standings than we were the past few years. Telling the freshmen that and telling ourselves that makes everyone want to work harder to achieve that goal at conference championships,” Johnson said.

On the diving side of the team, junior Rachel Johns has helped train two freshmen. The team is now double the size it was last year, with four divers.

“The freshmen are really great. Having two more people will be a good addition to the season,” Johns said. “Our team’s very close. During practice we’re all very encouraging, trying to help everyone reach their goals. We’re building off of one another.”

The team’s first meet of the season will be the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC) Relays and Pentathlon on Oct. 6-7 in La Mirada, Calif..

Kaleb Armbrust Reflects On Soccer Career

This article was originally published in ZU News.

“I didn’t want to go here at first,” Kaleb Armbrust said while reflecting on his time at APU. “I was looking to do my own thing because my parents and my brother went here. I kind of wanted to go on my own path.”

Armbrust was looking at playing soccer at two other schools—a small school in Tennessee and Point Loma Nazarene University, one of APU’s main rivals. He is originally from San Diego, so Point Loma felt a bit like home and he already knew the coach.

However, as the time came closer to making a commitment for college, Armbrust decided on APU.

“I kept praying and praying about it,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “God closed that door [of Point Loma] and brought me here instead. I had a good relationship with the coach already, from my brother playing and me watching the games. Seeing how the team was, a close-knit family, I felt better and better about coming to APU.”

Armbrust’s brother, Keenan, was a sophomore on the men’s soccer team at the time.

“He was the first one that I called when I decided to come to APU,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “I got two years in high school and two years in college to play with him.”

Both brothers played offense and Kaleb had an immediate influence.

“Kaleb’s had a big impact, really from day one,” head coach David Blomquist said. “He was an important attacker for us, even as a freshman.”

Unfortunately, Kaleb got into a bad tackle and broke his right ankle in the first scrimmage of the season.

“I had been working really hard during training. I was pretty bummed out,” Kaleb Armbrust said.

Luckily for Kaleb and the team, the healing process went much faster than expected.

“Our trainer was really good. I actually got back in about five weeks,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “It was tough. You’re kind of timid coming back, especially with your ankles. That was a bummer having to sit out there every practice just watching.”

Armbrust had the option to take a redshirt, meaning he would sit his freshmen year out, but still be eligible to play for four years.

“Coach asked me if I wanted to redshirt, but I wanted to spend every bit of time with my brother that I could. So I told him no,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “My trainer said that I could get back soon. The team and my brother were really encouraging. I was trusting that God knew what he was doing and I was just excited to get back and play.”

Kaleb healed just soon enough to make the team’s annual trip to Hawaii. But one week before, his brother Keenan got injured too.

“I tore a ligament in my foot. I thought to myself, ‘This is it, I won’t get to play with him this year.’ It felt like God was trying to get our attention,” Keenan Armbrust said.

Keenan healed quickly too and came back before the end of the season.

“It was down to us having to beat Dominican at home to clench the conference title,” Keenan Armbrust said. “Kaleb ended up having two assists to my two goals and I had an assist to his goal for us to win. I remember him running to the corner and praying and it just felt like God was looking out for us all along.”

Once they were both healthy, the brothers turned the Cougars offense into a force to be reckoned with.

“It was great to have both of them on the field. Brothers sometimes have that sixth sense of what the other’s going to do,” Blomquist said. “They’re connection on the field was fantastic. Those were some special games.”

Blomquist said as good as they were on the field, their impact was even bigger off the field.

“They were APU through and through,” Blomquist said. “It was great to have two players playing significant roles on the field but also understanding how the program functions as a family off the field. They really got the big picture of what we’re doing for the men’s soccer program.”

Kaleb said that game was his favorite memory at APU, making history with Keenan.

“I just think it’s pretty insane that we got to play together through high school and college. God has blessed our journey together and I think our coaches would testify to that,” Keenan Armbrust said.

Since graduating, Keenan is now playing for the New Orleans Jesters in the National Premier Soccer League.

The past couple of seasons haven’t gone as well as his first one here, but Kaleb has still enjoyed his time at APU.

“We’ve had a couple rough years but it’s been fun, just being able to persevere with all the guys. Everyone encourages each other through all the pain and struggles,” Kaleb Armbrust said.

The men’s soccer team is still looking for their first win, they sit at 0-5 as of Sept. 22. They’ve already lost two games by one goal.

“It’s been a little tough, because we’ve been playing pretty well,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “We really feel like we’ve been controlling the games, but the results just aren’t going our way, so it’s kind of humbling and frustrating. We’re trusting that if we keep playing the way we can, it [the wins] will come eventually.”

Kaleb and Blomquist think the Cougars can still turn the season around.

However, Kaleb has other things to worry about. He will be graduating in May and will be getting married in July.

“Two of my best friends on the team, my roommates, will be my groomsmen. It’s really cool having guys that I can be so close to, that I can invite to my wedding,” Kaleb Armbrust said.

He and his fiancée are planning on moving back to Sacramento, where they went to high school together. He’s not sure what he wants to do yet.

“I love the outdoors, so hopefully something in that industry. We’ll see what God has planned for that,” Kaleb Armbrust said.

He shared one last thought on his time at APU.

“It was a blessing to play with my brother. I miss that, of course,” Kaleb Armbrust said. “But it’s also been really cool to play for myself and be a leader on the team.”

Cougars' Volleyball Wins Big In Conference & Home Opener

This article was originally published in ZU News.

The APU women’s volleyball team has rolled off to their best start since 2011, with a record of 9-1.

They played two non-conference tournaments to start the season, in which they went 7-1 and knocked off NCAA Division II 4th ranked team, Alaska Anchorage.

In this game, maybe their best of the season, APU traded sets back and forth before winning a very close fifth set, 22-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-23 and 16-14.

Sophomore captain Julianne Miller said teamwork was the key to winning that game.

“We decided to not focus on ourselves. We were playing as a team, point by point,” Miller said. “We decided that it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side if we play our own game. That’s how we were able to rise up to the challenge.”

Miller said that it took a while to get into rhythm, but the team is playing with consistency which has led to their success.

“We’re trying to keep our energy up, no matter what. We’re trying to be consistent whether we’re down or whether we’re up,” Miller said. “If someone’s watching our game, they won’t know whether we’re winning or losing, it’s a matter of consistency.”

Head coach Chris Keife seconded the goal of being consistent.

“We’re returning quite a few kids. The consistency and maturity that we’re showing out on the court is definitely helping with our start,” Keife said. “We’ve really been trying to work on our culture- to be consistent, to be good, and to execute at the highest level.”

Consistency is paying off as seven of the Cougars nine wins have been 3-0 shutouts.

“We’ve set ourselves up to do really well this season. We’ve had some really key wins out there and come out strong,” junior captain Danika Young said. “It’s hard to play after two weeks of double days but we’ve come out strong and worked hard. We’ve got a lot of good talent on our team.”

Young leads the team with 161 assists. She is one of only three juniors on the team. There are no seniors on the team this year.

Young noted the success that the team has had so far, but also said that they have to improve in some areas.

“We want to keep pushing forward, keep moving forward, doing well and getting better with every practice and every game,” Young said. “I don’t really know what that looks like, but we’re going to keep working hard and hopefully good results will come from that.”

One of the areas the team is focusing on most is grit.

“We’re really trying to buckle down. We have girls that have the skills and the mentality that we need. It’s a matter of putting those together,” Miller said. “In the hard times when we’re down in a set and our backs against the wall, it’s learning how to fight and grab on to what we know we can do, which is our basic skills. It’s mind over matter.”

Miller currently leads the team with 90 kills, averaging 2.57 a set. She also has 34 blocks, second on the team to sophomore Sara Wagenveld with 48.

The Cougars home opener was on Sep. 14 where they cruised to a quick win over rival Point Loma. They won 3-0, with set scores of 25-9, 25-14, 25-11. It was the first game they played on their new court.

“It felt awesome to be back at home,” Young said. “It’s really cool to have a just volleyball environment with the new court that we have. We have so many people supporting us and it means a lot to be back at home.”

There were a total of 619 people in attendance. Young emphasized the importance of the crowd in helping the team win.

“It was so cool to see everybody go out and play their absolute best,” Young said. “Our defense was amazing. We served really well which allowed for our defense to be good. It was really awesome to beat our rivals.”

Miller also noted the significance of the win against Point Loma.

“Tonight was a huge win and a huge mentality boost. We know and we have confidence in what we are able to do,” Miller said.

In their next match on Sept. 16, the Cougars beat Fresno Pacific 3-0 with set scores of 25-14, 25-7 and 25-17. They had their second best game of the season in terms of hitting percentage.

Their next game of the season is Friday, Sept. 22 at 6:00 p.m. at home against Biola. It will be the first match of the new Cornerstone Cup.

“We’re absolutely looking forward to playing our other rival, Biola, now that they’re back,” Miller said.