TAVARES, Fla. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team advanced to the finals for the first time in program history in the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships and finished with an impressive second place.
 
Duo Lemoine and Uhl were recognized at the end of the tournament with All-American honors alongside their fellow opponents Tampa and Colorado Mesa.
 
Semifinals: CUI 3, Saint Leo 1
 
The Golden Eagles kicked off the day with a tough match-up against Saint Leo as the Lions weren't going down easily but CUI was able to secure the 3-1 win and advance to the championship game.
 
Saint Leo was able to take one game from CUI in the second slot but CUI prevailed and won the other three. Duos Giusta/McCullough and Nichols/Nordin both had a tough match against the Lions as each team won by just two points in a set but were able to sweep their opponents yet again.
 
The first slot with Lemoine and Uhl were a battle as they were the last match to finish to move on the championship game. After losing in the first set the Golden Eagles bounced back to win the second set and force a third. The Lions weren't giving up but a final kill from Uhl to seal the deal for the Golden Eagles by a close score of 17-15.
 
Kelissa Lemoine/Kali Uhl (CUI) def. Kayla David/Julia Panko (SLU): 13-21, 21-15, 17-15
Aliya Fredette-Huffman/Jeanette Henderson (SLU) def. Sara Ostojic/Tatum Smith (CUI): 21-15, 21-16
Kelia Giusta/True McCullough (CUI) def. Ignacia Cortinez/Emma Miller (SLU): 22-20, 21-18
Jordyn Nichols/Korah Nordin (CUI) def. Leeann Potter/Brenna Reinhard (SLU): 21-17, 22-20
 
Championship Game: CUI 2, Univ. of Tampa 3
 
CUI took on the University of Tampa who won the tournament last year and was looking to take the title from them this year. This is the fourth encounter between the two and what a match it was as Tampa won by a close 3-2 win making CUI the runner-up and placing second.
 
Pairs one and four lost in two sets where the second set fell just short of two points. Pairs two and three won their match in three sets while making adjustments to make sure they took the win over the Spartans.
 
It all came down to the fifth pair with Miller and Souza as they lost the first set but fought their way back in the second to go to the third and final set. The Spartans won by a close 15-11 to win the match.
 
Payton Brunick/Olivia Margolies (UOT) def. Kelissa Lemoine/Kali Uhl (CUI): 21-19, 24-22
Sara Ostojic/Tatum Smith (CUI) def. Madison Brunick/Keely Hamilton (UOT): 15-21, 21-9, 15-7
Kelia Giusta/True McCullough (CUI) def. Hailey Wolfe/Nevaeh Wofe (UOT): 21-14, 16-21, 15-12
Cassidy Ehrie/Angel Williams (UOT) def. Jordyn Nichols/Korah Nordin (CUI) 21-11, 21-19
Anna Bayes/Hailey Peterson (UOT) def. Nicole Miller/Ashleigh Souza (CUI): 21-13, 17-21, 15-11
 
 
The Golden Eagles finish their season with an overall record of 24-12 and were undefeated at home going 10-0 at the Great Park.
 
 
To see the full CUI beach volleyball schedule click HERE.