IRVINE, Calif. - That's two for two! The Concordia University Irvine men's volleyball team dove into its second match of the week against Springfield College and added another sweep to their belt. The CUI Arena was filled with excitement and anticipation as the Springfield Pride appeared. 

"We're focusing on the controllables," junior Slater Fuhrman mentioned before the match. "We're also focusing on weathering the serve and pass battle."  

Concordia embodied this mindset within the first set. Despite a slow start for both teams, Ties Cornelissen bounced two back-to-back kills to get the momentum going. The Pride was initially point for point with the Golden Eagles. Thanks to a fast offense and many well-timed saves in the back row, CUI widened the gap to an extensive 17-9.  

Undeterred, Springfield stepped out of the shadows with a few impressive blocks and aces to stay in the game, bringing it to 18-16. After a CUI timeout, Maxwell McCullough came out of the gates swinging and scored an impactful kill for the Golden Eagles. Both teams fought tooth and nail, but CUI won the first set 25-23. 

The Green and the Gold effectively captured the last two sets with nearly a five-point lead in both. CUI ended the match with a hitting percentage of .290 and 10 total blocks. 

Gage Doble offensively led the Golden Eagles with 10 kills while hitting an impressive .571. Across the offense, Christian Galoppo was right on his heels as well as middle blocker Maxwell McCullough. Setter Yotam Briger and outside hitter Makua Marumoto provided beautiful service aces in the match and were a dynamic duo on the court in terms of energy and momentum. 

The scores for each set were as follows: 25-23, 25-19, and 25-20. 

The Golden Eagles are on the hunt for another win when they take on Central State on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 p.m. at home.

To see the full CUI men's volleyball schedule CLICK HERE.