AZUSA, Calif---Despite quick starts to the sets and a large lead, the start to Point Loma Sea Lion's (13-10 overall, 9-6 PacWest) four-match road trip finished with a three sets to none sweep by the Azusa Pacific Cougars (16-4 overall, 11-1 PacWest) Friday night at the Felix Events Center.

Point Loma's quick starts to sets one and two were undone by an aggressive APU squad that closed the match with superb defense at the net.

After Point Loma scored the first two points of the match, Azusa jumped into the lead at 5-2.

Azusa maintained the margin but Claire Smith's four kills kept Point Loma within striking distance at 13-10, before an overpass turned into another APU point and a PLNU timeout at 14-10

The Sea Lions would score 7 of the next 10 points, tying the match at 17 on a Courtney Dyer ace and forcing an APU timeout.

But the Cougars closed the first set with 8 of the final 11 points to take the first set 25-20.

PLNU exchanged the first 16 points of set two with APU before Azusa benefitted from a pair of Point Loma errors to take a 10-8 lead.

But Point Loma responded quickly, taking the lead behind Dyer's serve as the junior delivered consecutive aces to give PLNU a 12-10 lead and force an APU timeout.

The Sea Lions widened the advantage behind Anna Massari who delivered offensively, with a kill, and defensively with a pair of blocks. The stretch gave PLNU an 18-12 lead forcing another APU timeout.

The Cougars responded with three of the next four points, causing the first Sea Lion timeout. Two more APU points after the break caused Point Loma to call for their other timeout while holding a 19-17 lead.

Azusa Pacific tied the set at 20, eventually taking the lead 22-21, and closed out the set 25-21 to take a match lead of 2-0.

APU jumped in front of the third set at 7-3 before Point Loma's first timeout. Point Loma fell behind by as many as six before cutting the deficit down to two at 20-18.

But Azusa Pacific closed out the set and the match 25-18.

Smith tied for a match high 10 kills, while Dyer added a match-high 20 digs to her career total.

Point Loma will now turn their attention to a three match trip to Hawaii next week beginning with Hawai'i Hilo on Wednesday, November 10^th.