COSTA MESA, Calif. – The Concordia men's volleyball took a midweek trip up the road, taking on first year program Vanguard University in its first of many battles. The Lions, whose head coach is former Eagles player Brad Rostratter, delivered a fight but the Eagles hailed the victors, winning 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18).
 
A total of 19 CUI players saw court time, with the senior duo of Raymond Barsemian and Jordan Hoppe leading the way with 14 and 11 kills respectively. Noah Lassandro was the leader at the net, collecting five blocks (two solo) and Addison Enriques scooped up a team-high eight digs.
 
Vanguard struck first to start off the night, but Concordia delivered a trio of points to get ahead 6-3. Teams remained competitive, until a block from the freshmen duo of Gil Herold and McLain Mott gave the Eagles a two-point edge at 17-15. Barsemian delivered his second ace to give CUI set point and Lassandro and Zachary Meyer paired up for a block to seal the set.
 
Lassandro put down a kills followed by one from Darcy Taig to put the Eagles up 15-8 in the second and force a Lions timeout. Concordia saw its lead get trimmed late but a kill from Herold and a Vanguard service error gave CUI the 2-0 lead.
 
Parker Maki and Hoppe paced the Eagles in the third with three kills apiece, despite falling 25-18. However, the Green and Gold responded with its strong offense, hitting .355 off of 15 kills. It was tight in the fourth set, with Concordia responding late down the stretch by way of production from Barsemian and Hoppe.
 
The Eagles remains on the road for the remainder of the month, taking on UC Irvine on Jan. 30 and UC San Diego on Jan. 31. For the full CUI men's volleyball schedule, click here.