HILO, Hawai'i - For the second straight match out on the islands, Concordia took a Hawai'i school from the PacWest Conference to the limit. After going five sets a couple nights ago while visiting the No. 24 Chaminade Silverswords, the Eagles were looking to come out on top against the host Vulcans on Saturday evening.

Concordia eagerly took the first set against the University of Hawai'i Hilo by a score of 25-12. After falling in the next two sets, the Eagles sandwiched that with an emphatic 25-16 victory to force a deciding fifth set.

The Vulcans (10-2, 7-1 PacWest) escaped with an impressive push down the stretch after CUI opened up a 4-0 lead to start the fifth set. It was 4-1 CUI before Hilo flipped the script.  After just a couple serves, the Vulcans went on a 4-1 run of their own to tie the set at 5-5. The hosts would ultimately rattle off a 15-3 run to lock down the win.

For the Eagles (9-5, 6-3 PacWest), it was a tough loss for the second straight road game despite a lot of positives on the court.

Kirra Schulz (16 kills & 16 digs) and Patience O'Neal (14 kills, two block assists) did lots of damage against the Vulcans, carving up the defense on some solid swings. Schulz hit .284 and Hannah Tostado cashed in with nine kills with a hitting percentage of .333 to help the cause.

Five different Eagles actually finished with double-digit digs. Libero Cassidy Gelacio led CUI with 27, Daniela Poles collected 20 and Julia Wilson added 17.  Setter Brianna Latigue handed out 44 assists to go with her 12 digs. Jalyssa Sanchez contributed 11 kills while helping patrol the net.

The next match for CUI is at home on Saturday, Oct. 16 starting at 5 p.m. against Biola.  Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game as we continue to support the fight against breast cancer. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

CLICK HERE to buy tickets ahead of time for upcoming matches.  **To save time, we advise you to purchase your tickets ahead of time as cash is no longer an option for spectators and all sales are now done electronically.

**NOTE: Masks ARE required to be worn by ALL spectators in CU Arena for all indoor sporting events.** Thank you for your cooperation and your support of keeping everyone who works, plays and attends our home games at Concordia safe in compliance with the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's volleyball schedule.