POMONA, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine women's volleyball team wasted little time earning its first victory of the season.

Playing against Western Oregon in the Broncos Fall Classic hosted by Cal Poly Pomona, CUI opened up the 2021 regular season with a resilient 3-2 victory after storming out to a strong start in the first hour of the match.

Libero Cassidy Gelacio was superb defensively and collected a career-high 26 digs.  Recently named PacWest Preseason Setter of the Year Brianna Latigue also handed out a game-high 35 assists. 

A good portion of those helpers went to newcomer Daniela Poles, who shined in her Concordia debut.  Originally from Italy, Poles racked up 13 kills, four blocks and six digs to give the Eagles a boost in a variety of ways.  Poles hit .345 on 29 swings, while Hannah Tostado hit .500 with eight total kills.

Kirra Schulz added five aces, which all came in the first two sets.  CUI built a 2-0 lead after taking the first two stanzas 25-14, 25-15 and then hung on in the fifth set, 15-11, to snag the win.                                  

True freshman Kennedy Farley also made her presence felt with 10 kills in her first game for the Eagles.  Jalyssa Sanchez added nine kills and three blocks.

The Eagles will take the court again at Cal Poly Pomona on Friday and Saturday for a total of four games this week away from home.  CUI faces Western New Mexico on Friday, Sept 3 at 1:00 P.M. in their next contest before clashing with both Cal State Dominguez Hills and the host Broncos on Saturday.

The Green and Gold will hold their home opener this coming Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6:00 P.M. against Northwest Nazarene.

CLICK HERE to purchase your volleyball tickets ahead of time for the home opener and other upcoming CUI games as we recently launched our new HomeTown Ticketing service. Please remember that we are no longer accepting cash at the ticket booth and all sales must be done digitally online.  We encourage spectators to buy their tickets ahead of time as much as possible to save time when you arrive.

(NOTE: Masks ARE required inside CU Arena for all home CUI volleyball games this year and must be worn to enter any buildings on Concordia's campus in compliance with current COVID-19 safety protocols.

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