IRVINE, Calif. - The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team welcomed in Colorado Mesa and No. 18 Long Beach State to Irvine on Tuesday. The Eagles looked to rebound from the loss in Malibu on Sunday and they came out the gate with a ton of energy.
 

CUI battled CMU first and while the box score says 4-1 in favor of the Eagles, the victory did not come easy as two matches for the Green and Gold went to three sets. Clutch performances by Ellie Cary, Vanessa Bernzen, Mia Corippo and Alexis Dirige helped secure the team's third victory of the season.

Freshmen Sofia Parisi and Lauren Clifton saw their first action of the 2021 season and got the nod to play in the exhibition game against the Mavericks.

"It was a great experience getting my first college match and I had a lot of fun," noted Clifton after her match. "There was some good competition all around, it was cool seeing all our hard work come together in our game."

The Green and Gold then squared off with the No. 18 Beach of LBSU for the first time this season looking to secure a victory over a ranked opponent this year.  The Eagles started out hot as great kills from Shannon Evans and Alex Omaszta kept the Beach on their toes throughout the whole match. Cary and Bernzen nearly won the first set, coming up just short by two and Corippo and Dirige dropped their first set by only three points. The sandy birds dropped the match by the final score of 0-5, but overall it was a good day for the green and gold. This was their fourth match-up of the season against a Division I ranked opponent.

CUI head coach Jenny Griffith summed up the day saying, "As a team we have been seeking to play with excellence not perfectionism. I saw us play with creativity, spontaneous initiative and personal leadership. In order for us to take the next step and beat teams ranked higher than us we have to believe we belong and like kids in a sand box we have to play free without limitations."

"These matchups were such a great opportunity for our program as a whole," added senior Mia Corippo. "Not only did we fight hard, we kept them on their toes, and I don't think they were expecting that. I'm really proud of all of my teammates."

The sandy birds will be back in action Saturday, Mar. 27 as they host No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 7 Loyola Marymount at Great Park. It will be Senior Day for the Eagles as they will honor all their graduating upperclassmen.

For the Full CUI Beach Volleyball Schedule, CLICK HERE.

CUI 4, CMU 1

No 1. Ellie Cary/Vanessa Bernzen (CUI)  def. Maddi Foutz/Holly Schmidt (CMU) - 20-22, 21-10, 15-5

No. 2 Hailee Ryan/Avery Keathley (CUI) def. Macie Lachemann/Savannah Spitzer (CMU) - 21-16, 21-16.

No. 3 Mia Corippo/Alexis Dirige (CUI) def. Hahni Johnson/Sierra Hunt (CMU) - 21-16, 18-21, 15-9

No. 4 Nickie Hughes/Sara Ostojic (CUI) def. Ara Norwood/Tye Wedhorn (CMU) - 21-11, 21-11

No. 5 Sabrina Vandelist/Ashton Reese (CMU) def. Alex Omaszta/Shannon Evans (CUI) - 21-19, 21-9

Exhibition: Mary McGinnis/Rianne Brown (CMU) def. Sofia Parisi/Lauren Clifton (CUI) - 22-20, 21-16.

LBSU 5, CUI 0

No. 1. Mari Molina/Tyler Spriggs (LBSU) def. Ellie Cary/Vanessa Bernzen (CUI) - 21-19, 21-13

No 2. Katie Kennedy/Nicci Reinking (LBSU) def. Hailee Ryan/Avery Keathley (CUI) 21-11, 21-13

No 3. Makenzie Griffin/Kenzie Holtz (LBSU) def. Mia Corippo/Alexis Dirige (CUI) 21-18, 21-13

No 4. Sophie Major/Claire Newlander (LBSU) def. Nickie Hughes/Sara Ostojic (CUI) 21-18, 21-19

No 5. Emily Mattoon/Jillian Rodriguez (LBSU) def. Alex Omaszta/Shannon Evans (CUI) 21-11, 21-11

Ext. Leah Black/Hanna Farnsworth (LBSU) def. Kya Bock/Marina Pilkington (CUI) 21-18, 21-11