HONOLULU, HI – In its toughest test of the season, Concordia took on the top-ranked team in the nation on Friday night, facing Hawaii in the Outrigger Resorts Invitational. The Eagles gave all they could, but it was the Rainbow Warriors who earned the victory, winning 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-15).
 
It was a homecoming for two Eagles, Owen Chun and Addison Enriques, who were able to play in front of friends and family against their hometown team. After a stellar night against UC Irvine on Thursday evening, Enriques followed up with six digs, which was second best on the team. Chun got the start at middle blocker and put down four kills and was in on a career-best four blocks.
 
Raymond Barsemian led the way offensively for the team with 11 kills and hit .321 while Jordan Hoppe had seven kills and a pair of aces. Jonathan Carlson was the best in the backrow with a team-high seven digs to go along with four kills and three blocks.
 
Teams traded blows early, with Barsemian and Gil Herold each collecting a kill. The Rainbow Warriors shifted the momentum in their favor, but it did not stop the Eagles from fighting. Chun smacked down a backset in transition and followed up with an off-speed shot for kills to put his team within five at 21-16. Carlson saw his shot hit the floor after a crosscourt shot out of the timeout and Hoppe rolled it down the line for another kill at 24-19.
 
The Green and Gold collected their first lead of the night to start the second with a block solo from Chun and an ace from Hoppe that tagged the back line. The Eagles hit a best .308 in the set, led by Barsemian who went on a tear with seven kills, a majority of them going off the strong Hawaii block. Chun stepped up with a kill down the middle and Hoppe followed up with a changeup serve for his second ace to keep the Eagles alive, down 21-18. A triple block for CUI and a kill from Barsemian to the back corner put the fight back into the team.
 
Hawaii got out to a big lead in the third but freshman Christian Oviedo checked and had a dig that led to a Concordia point. Hoppe landed a shot in the corner and Barsemian and Chun teamed up for a block to put the Eagles on a mini run. After getting blocked back mid-rally, Carlson got right back up and tooled the block to make the score 19-13 UH. Herold connected with Oviedo late in the set but a kill from Hawaii ended Concordia's chances.
 
Concordia will round out the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 PM PST, taking on Queens in its first ever meeting between the two teams. For the full men's volleyball schedule, click here.