IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine women's volleyball team earned its first PacWest Conference win with an impressive 3-0 sweep of Point Loma on Wednesday evening.

McKenzie Jensen led the offense with a sizzling .526 hitting percentage. The sophomore from Monrovia, Calif. was in the zone from the start and placed 11 kills on 19 swings.

The Eagles pulled off a furious rally to win the opening set in stunning fashion by a score of 28-26. Point Loma led 24-20 before the Eagles battled back. Kirra Schulz went on a serving spree after CUI forced a Point Loma timeout.  The contest was tied at 24, 25 and 26 down the stretch before the Eagles sealed it with blocks by Hannah Tostado and Gracie Rowland.

Midway through the second set, Rowland placed back-to-back aces to put the Eagles up 14-13. CUI started to gain control but again it went down to the wire with the teams trading blows.
Rowland finished with three aces on the night and also supplied 10 kills and seven digs in the contest.

CUI eventually took the second set 26-24 thanks to a strong swing by Schulz compliments of setter Brianna Latigue.  Latigue handed out 38 assists and also collected eight digs on the night.

"I think those first two sets from the serving line, I felt like I was in a really good groove," said Grace Rowland. "Our defense and offense definitely helped me feel confident on the serving line and I knew they could receive well."

"I think those two sets definitely helped build our confidence as a team," added Rowland. "I think mainly the trust we have in each other really showed tonight, especially in that first set."

Kills by Jensen in the third set helped CUI build respectable 6-4 and 10-7 leads. There were an astounding 11 ties in that final set, but CUI ultimately prevailed by another narrow margin. This time CUI  escaped 25-23 to secure the 3-0 sweep after a kill by Schulz closed it out.

Schulz turned in a team-high 13 kills on the evening. Hannah Tostado joined Patience O'Neal, Rowland and Jensen with multiple kills in that third set. Cassidy Gelacio and Schulz each collected a team-high 12 digs as well.

"We're in a really good place right now especially with culture and attitude," said Jensen. "Those kills I got would have been nothing without our passers and especially our setters. All the credit goes to them and how much they grind and put everything out there. It's honestly inspiring."

The Eagles return to action for Senior Night on Tuesday, April 6 against Azusa Pacific.  CUI plans to honor its senior class over the live stream after the conclusion of the match. This is also the last home game that is currently scheduled for CUI women's volleyball this season.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's volleyball schedule

#CUITogether