IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia men's volleyball team took the court Saturday afternoon, hosting No. 7 BYU for the first time in program history. The Eagles hung in there with the top ten team for most of the match but could not hold on in the end as the Cougars won 25-21, 25-22, 25-15.
The duo of pin hitters
Raymond Barsemian and
Jonathan Predney led the Concordia offense with 13 and six kills respectively.
Chandler Gibb collected his sixth double-double of the season, when he picked up 20 assists and 11 digs.
BYU used its height to gain an advantage in the blocking department and used it right away. The Cougars collected two blocks at the beginning of the first set to make it 3-1 BYU. Concordia brought themselves back into the set, tying it at 7-7, following a kill and an ace from
Hunter Howell. BYU extended their lead to five, using a 7-2 run and making it 14-9. With BYU up 21-13, Concordia brought themselves back into the set with a 6-1 run consisting of kills from Barsemian and Predney, an ace from Gibb, and three BYU hitting errors. Each team sided-out until the end with the Cougars taking the set 25-21.
Concordia pulled out to an early 3-1 lead in the second set, before BYU rallied back and took a 5-3 advantage. The Eagles retook the lead at 12-11 after each pin hitter for Concordia put away the ball. Teams traded runs and Concordia gained momentum at the end, going ahead 19-18 behind a Predney ace and a block from Gibb and Howell. However, the Cougars had the last say ending the set using a 6-2 run to take the 2-0 edge.
The Cougars were firing on all cylinders in the third set behind the combination of tough serving and strategic blocking, putting them ahead 7-3. Concordia fought back into the set going on a 6-2 run, benefiting from a long rally that ended with a kill from
Parker Maki, forcing a BYU timeout. Despite the scrappiness of the Eagles defense, the Cougars were able to score until the end, going on a 7-2 run to finish the match.
Concordia falls to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in conference while BYU improves to 10-4 and 3-0 in conference. Now, the Eagles are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MPSF and continue conference play next week. On Thursday, Concordia hosts Grand Canyon at 7:00 PM, followed by a road trip to USC on Friday, and a home non-conference game against CSUN on Saturday.
