LOS ANGELES, Calif. - On the opening night of MPSF play, the Concordia men's volleyball team made a statement, sweeping USC for the first time in program history (25-19, 25-21, 26-24).
 
The Eagles hit an outstanding .482 clip, which is the highest hitting percentage as a team since February 15, 2013, and is the third best in program history.
 
Jordan Hoppe went errorless with 12 kills on 17 attempts, and hit .706, which is the third best hitting percentage in a single match. He also collected a team-high eight digs and had a match-high tying two blocks.
 
"We knew we were in for a battle" said Hoppe. "We knew we were going to have to fight for each and every point. We tried to create that separation one point after another."
 
It was not only a good overall performance for Hoppe as the Eagles had a multitude of weapons alongside him.
 
Raymond Barsemian put down 19 kills, which ties for most kills in a three-set match, followed by Zachary Meyer with eight kills, three aces, three digs, and hit .357. Noah Lassandro hit .714 on five kills on seven attempts while Gil Herold had three kills on four swings for a .750 hitting percentage. McLain Mott was the key to Eagles offense, putting up 40 assists.
 
"We played how we train." added Concordia head coach Shawn Patchell. "We can play at this level consistently if we continue to train smart and hard."
 
The Green and Gold got off to a hot start, fueled by Trojan hitting errors, to get ahead 7-1 in the first. Teams traded point-for-point until back-to-back aces from Meyer put the Eagles up by six at 21-14.
 
The second set was competitive, with CUI maintaining a slight lead the entire set. USC had a service error and Hoppe followed with two kills as part of 3-1 run to get ahead 20-16. A put away from Barsemian gave the Eagles a five point lead at 23-18 until Barsemian delivered two more to end the set.
 
Concordia got out to another early lead at 7-4 then 12-8 further on. The Trojans went on a mini run to tie the set up and eventually got ahead. Both teams traded blows until a USC hitting error to give CUI its first match point at 24-23. The Eagles dealt an error of their own to tie the set up but consecutive Barsemian kills sealed the deal giving Concordia the victory.
 
"It was really early to have a conference match, so we had to use this as an opportunity to send a message" expressed Hoppe. "We hope we sent a message that Concordia men's volleyball is here to stay in the MPSF."
 
The Eagles will rest up and head back to the court next week on Jan. 22 to take on first-year program Vanguard at 7 p.m. in Costa Mesa. For the full Concordia men's volleyball schedule, click here.