IRVINE, Calif. – Nearly 16 months have passed since the Concordia University Irvine women's volleyball team last took the court in an organized game.

On Tuesday night, the Eagles announced their triumphant return to action with a four-set victory over Alaska in their home opener.

After Alaska took the first set 25-21, CUI rebounded to win in four sets by notching three consecutive victories by scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-16.

A number of returners for CUI finished the night with impressive stat lines. Junior Patience O'Neal led the offense with 15 kills to go with a solid .364 hitting percentage and nine digs.  Hannah Tostado neatly placed five of her team's 12 aces and had eight kills while fellow junior Brianna Latigue dished out 45 assists to go with 11 digs.  Meanwhile, Gracie Rowland racked up a career-high 13 kills and seven digs.

"Winning our first game back after a year of not playing was definitely big for us," said O'Neal.  "We were so hype and so excited to play. It was all we've been talking about for like a week-and-a-half was playing in this game and it really paid off how much we've been working."

O'Neal stepped up with five of her 13 kills in that crucial second set to help even the match at 1-1 and turn the tide.

"Losing the first game didn't really get us down," admitted O'Neal. "We came back and said we are going to pick it up, fix what we needed to and take care of our side, and I think that really helped bring up the energy."

Freshman Courtney Arume made an instant impact when she entered the match and wound up leading CUI with 14 digs.  Cassidy Gelacio collected 10 digs while freshman Julia Wilson also came in and helped out along the backline with nine receptions and three digs.

"We call them 'The Littles' - our three little Libs (liberos) - and they can all be our libero (at any time) and they really came in and made a change in the match," explained CUI head coach Paula Weishoff. "We dug some balls and were able to transition (to offense) and they really made a huge difference in that win.  It was really nice to see two freshmen and a sophomore come in and do all the little things and they were solid."

Ten different Eagles contributed to the win with Kirra Schulz adding 13 receptions and Mackenzie Jensen turning in four kills and three blocks.  Rowland led the way with 18 total points.

"I think we learned that everyone is ready to go in at any point and time and that anyone can go in and perform and put the ball away," added O'Neal.

"I think the biggest thing I'm proud of is our culture, the bench and how everybody stayed together," said Weishoff. "We all talked about that in the locker room. We're on the right track and we just gotta come back and keep battling every day."

The Eagles will open up conference play when they return to action next Thursday, March 18 against PacWest rival Azusa Pacific.  The Cougars are slated to host the Eagles at 6 p.m. that evening.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's volleyball schedule

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