The Rundown: The Concordia Eagles played their last home match in style, sweeping Azusa Pacific 3-0 on Thursday night.
By the Numbers: Ellie Ladensack led CUI with 10 kills hitting .320, and Rachel Flynn added 10 kills. Hannah Andrews added seven kills off the bench in 25 swings. Taylor Dennison had 14 digs and three aces.
The Difference: CUI was outblocked 9-6, but made up for it hitting .198 compared to .089 for APU. The Eagles also led in sideout percentage in all three sets, and were above 50% in the last two.
Critical Plays: APU jumped ahead 17-13, forcing a CUI timeout in set one. A kill from Amber Rose and APU error tied the game at 18. Hannah Andrews and Rose combined on a set of blocks and CUI took control 25-19. APU held a two-point edge through the start of set two. Two aces from Taylor Dennison and CUI came back to tie at 17. Another ace from Dennison and a kill from Ellie Ladensack, and CUI led 20-17. After a 14-0 run CUI led 24-18 and won 25-18. After trailing 5-1 in set three, CUI came back to tie at eight. After two APU errors, CUI took the 16-14 edge. After APU grabbed the lead, Olivia Zolezzi took it back with an ace, 21-20. CUI took it from there 25-20.
What it Means: Concordia improves to 14-11 and 10-6 in the PacWest, and finish 8-3 inside CU Arena. The all-time series between the programs now sits at 24-24.
Up Next: The Eagles travel to California Baptist for a 1 pm showdown in Riverside, CA on Saturday.