LA JOLLA, Calif. – The Concordia women's volleyball team capped off its final non-conference weekend Saturday as the Eagles earned two victories to move to 6-2 on the season.  It's the program's best start since 2016 and second-best record out the gate through eight games since joining the NCAA.
 
Concordia 3, Saint Martin's 0
It was a successful morning for the Eagles, as they hit a season-high .381 in a sweep over the Saints. Freshman Mackenzie Jensen had the hot hand for CUI, where she put down eight kills on nine attempts for a .889 hitting efficiency to go along with three blocks. Junior Riley Gill also performed well with 11 kills and 10 digs for a double-double and hit .455.
 
Concordia started off strong, putting up a 6-1 lead and followed with another run to get ahead 12-5. Sophomore Hannah Tostado set the pace from the back line as she put down two aces in part of a 7-0 run. The Saints sided out and scored another, but the Eagles ran away with four of its own to win 25-13.
 
Set two was a battle, as Concordia held on to a lead the entire set but could not get ahead by more than three points. The Eagles led 19-17 after a kill and block by junior Renae Ross and after senior Kylie Breitenwischer's first career ace they extended the lead to 21-18. Kills from Jensen and Gill allowed the Green and Gold to end the set 25-20.
 
The Eagles trailed early in set three but secured a 10-2 run to push ahead 21-16. A kill from sophomore Patience O'Neal and a block from sophomore Cambria Fernandez put CUI up 23-19. The Saints fought off one match point before Jensen answered right back with a kill to seal the deal.
 
Concordia 3, Chico State 2
Placed in a familiar spot to round out the tournament, CUI played its third five-set match of the season and emerged victorious. Gill and Jensen each repeated as top performers, where both landed career-highs. Gill put down a personal-best 20 kills and hit .436 and had 13 digs while Jensen added 12 kills, six blocks, and hit .385. O'Neal sparked the team by coming off the bench with 13 kills as an opposite and hit .480 with three blocks. Tostado was also solid at the net, putting down eight kills and racking up seven blocks.
 
The match started with an early Chico State lead followed by back and forward runs throughout. Closing in on the set, the Wildcats led 22-19, before Jensen put the team on her shoulders and delivered a 5-0 run with two aces, one kill, and multiple tough serves to give the Eagles set point. Tied at 24, sophomore Jordan Mineer threw down a kill and Tostado teamed up with Breitenwischer to steal the set.

Concordia was able to capture set two with its strong offensive and defensive presence, winning 10 of the last 12 points. In set three, the Eagles came from behind to tie it up at 21, but the Wildcats extended the match with a close 25-23 win. CUI led for most of set three with CSUC, ultimately coming to a tie again at 21. The Wildcats were able to pull out another 25-23 set win and push the match to a winner takes all fifth set.
 
The Eagles gunned out to a 3-1 lead and collected points from back-to-back Wildcat hitting errors to stay ahead 8-7 at the side switch. Concordia then scored four straight points to force a Chico State timeout. Tostado put down a kill and collected a block to set up match point that O'Neal delivered to clinch the win. 

Jensen made the All-Tournament Team after her impressive showing. The Eagles finished the weekend 3-1 in La Jolla with the lone defeat coming against tournament host UC San Diego. CUI opened the tourney with a victory over Montana State Billings on Friday.

Next Up: Concordia will make its first regular season appearance in CU Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. taking on Point Loma in the team's PacWest opener. Following that, the Eagles will head back on the road to the Bay Area for a pair of matches. For the full CUI women's volleyball schedule, click here.