Cal Lutheran's women's volleyball team swept Azusa Pacific 3-0 on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Gilbert Arena in Thousand Oaks, bouncing back two days after suffering its first SCIAC loss of the season.

Reese Balagot led the Regals with 12 kills and a .409 hitting percentage in the 25-19, 25-15, 26-24 victory, according to CLU Athletics. Tarin Rueckert added nine kills, a match-high six blocks and a .467 hitting percentage. Emily Ford also recorded nine kills.

The Regals (11-6) outhit the Cougars .301 to .124 and tallied 11 blocks as a team.

Cal Lutheran set the tone on the first point, when Ford and Aby Tibesar combined for a block. After Azusa Pacific grabbed a brief 4-2 lead, three straight Balagot kills and one from Rueckert put the Regals back in front in the opening set.

The second set featured an eight-point Cal Lutheran run that turned a close frame into a 21-12 cushion. Rueckert closed it out with three consecutive blocks and a kill for the 25-15 win.

Azusa Pacific made the third set tight. The Cougars erased an early 8-3 deficit and took an 18-15 lead before the Regals answered with four straight points. APU reached set point at 24-21, but Ford delivered two kills and Tibesar sealed the match with a solo block to complete a five-point run and a 26-24 third-set win.

Setter Kimmy Wilson finished with 19 assists, three aces and 13 digs. Makenna Kawamura added 12 assists. Keegan Corley matched Wilson with 13 digs to lead the back row. Tibesar contributed four kills without an error, hitting .667, along with five blocks.

The match counted toward Cal Lutheran's overall record but not the SCIAC standings. Azusa Pacific is transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division III, according to a CLU Athletics recap of the Regals' Tuesday, Oct. 13, loss at Whittier.

That Whittier defeat snapped a six-match SCIAC winning streak. The Regals hit a season-low .099 in a 3-0 loss to the Poets, who moved to 7-0 in conference play.

Rueckert has been a consistent force throughout SCIAC play. After she recorded 18 kills in the Regals' win over La Verne, assistant coach Kira Mortensen told the CLU Echo that Rueckert earned a nickname: "She's dependable, she's like the nicest girl you've ever met, but we call her 'Scary Tari' when she gets on."

Cal Lutheran returns to Gilbert Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, for a 2 p.m. Homecoming match against Chapman. The Panthers enter the weekend at 4-3 in SCIAC play, tied for fourth with La Verne. An alumni game follows at 5 p.m.