HAYWARD, Calif. – After splitting on the day Friday the Golden Eagles were looking to finish out the Route 92 Classic tournament strong with another two game day against Sonoma State and host team Cal State East Bay.
 
Game 1: CUI 3, SSU 1
 
The morning game for CUI was another first for the team as they have ever competed against Sonoma State before and came out with a great four set win with scores 25-18, 11-15, 25-22, and 29-27.
 
Caitlin Jarrell led CUI out of the middle with 11 kills and four block assists. Kennedy Farley was right behind with nine kills while freshmen Delaney Gregg and Jaydn Orava both reached six kills a-piece.
 
The trio of defensive specialists and libero played a key role in leading the back row defense. Delaney Risse, Makena Thomas, and Celia Dowell all reached 10 digs or more. Setter Kawehi Chang set up her offense and had 31 assists with nine digs.
 
Tough serving at the back line was a key factor in the first set win for CUI. The Green and Gold started off strong jumping out to a 6-3 lead with Celia Dowell serving up three consecutive aces followed by Jadyn Orava going on a six point service run and never allowed Sonoma back in the set.
 
The Seawolves answered back not allowing the Golden Eagles to earn more than two consecutive points in the second set. The score toggled between the two teams in the third but CUI took a late lead with Risse serving up an ace to reach a 22-17 score and close out the set with a kill from Kayden Croy.
 
Sonoma State had a comfortable 17-13 lead over Concordia but hitting errors from the Seawolves helped the Golden Eagles creep back closer and ultimately come within just one point. Middle Jarrell came up big time with two kills to keep CUI alive and go the extra distance and Risse served up an ace to secure their win in four.
 
Game 2: CUI 1, CSUEB 3
 
The Golden Eagles closed out the tournament against the host team Cal State East Bay and fell short in four sets 17-25, 20-25, 25-21, and 12-25.
 
Orava reached her fifth double-double on the night with 12 kills and 10 digs while Farley was on the right and contributed with 12 kills also marking her seventh game with more than 10 kills. Croy put down nine kills while being effective up at the net with two blocks. Dominique VadeBoncoeur and came into the game and made an immediate impact with three kills.
 
Middle duo were at it again as Jarrell and Gregg had seven and six kills each with Gregg leading the Green and Gold with three blocks. Chang continues to impress defensively as she recorded 13 digs and dished out 30 and Maycee Mercado added 10 assists with two kills. Risse had eight digs and three assists with Dowell and Thomas who added four and three digs.
 
CUI improves to 5-3 overall before starting PacWest play with their conference opener this coming week against Point Loma on Thursday Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in the CU Arena.
 
To see the full CUI women's volleyball schedule click HERE.