IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team enters the 2025 fall campaign riding a wave of momentum after a record-breaking season. The Golden Eagles finished with a program-best 26-10 overall record, including a perfect 8-0 mark at home, and capped the year off as the National Runner-Up at the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships.
Jenny Griffith enters her sixth year as the head coach and has led the program to four consecutive seasons surpassing the 20-win mark. She has led the Golden Eagles to 100 career wins in her time at CUI. She is joined by second-year assistant coach
Elaini Kollias, along with new graduate assistants
Sara Ostojic and Lisa Gathright. Ostojic played under Griffith for the previous five seasons, earning 75 career wins while primarily competing in the No. 1 pair before transitioning into a coaching role. Gathright brings valuable experience from UC Davis, where she most recently served as interim head coach for two seasons with the Aggies.
CUI returns a core group from that championship lineup, including junior Gabrielle Reinking and seniors Kelia Giusta, Ashley Rossi, and Olivia Medina, all of whom played key roles last season.
The Golden Eagles also welcome several newcomers who have already made their mark this fall. Incoming freshmen Julie Watney, Audra Border, Logan DeManby, Emma Wakefield, and McKenzie Perrault join the roster. Alongside alongside transfers Aliyah Moore, a graduate student from Michigan State who transitions from indoor volleyball, and Rosie Cline, a junior transfer from Santiago Canyon College and Point Loma.
The Golden Eagles began their off-season making a strong statement in their fall campaign at the 2025 Surf City Collegiate Challenge. Medina and Moore finished in 29th place in the Championship division, earning key victories over Hawaii and Pepperdine. Giusta and Rossi finished 3-2 in the College AA Division, and Teagan Algarra and Emma Hugeback went 4-1 in the College A Division to tie for ninth place.
The Golden Eagles conclude their fall schedule this weekend at the LBSU Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 8th.
