IRVINE, Calif. — Concordia University Irvine head coach Jon Girten secured his first career victory at the helm Friday night as the Golden Eagles swept Springfield College, 25-20, 25-19, 25-22, at CU Arena.

CUI controlled the match from the opening serve, never trailing in any set. The Green and Gold delivered a balanced and efficient performance, hitting .403 as a team while holding Springfield to just .107 on the night. Setter Aidan Case orchestrated the offense with 32 assists, helping lead CUI to post 35 total kills on just 10 attack errors, marking its highest hitting percenatge as a team this season. 

The Golden Eagles' service game proved decisive, as CUI finished with nine aces, led by Myles Henderson with four in his first career start. Ties Cornelissen and Paul Schulteis further applied pressure from behind the line, combining for five aces to keep Springfield out of system throughout the match.

The Pride showed flashes of momentum, particularly late in the third set, but CUI's blocking and side-out efficiency closed the door. The Eagles totaled seven blocks to Springfield's four, with Case and Nathan Habermas recording four blocks each. 

Christian Galoppo made his first start at the opposite position this season, leading all players with 13 kills along with two blocks to anchor the offense. Cornelissen followed closely behind with 10 kills and Schulteis chipped in with seven kills.

The Golden Eagles sealed the match in the third set behind timely kills from Cornelissen, who closed out the sweep with a final ace to mark a milestone moment for Girten, as CUI enters a new era under his leadership with a convincing home win.

NEXT UP: 

The Golden Eagles look to build on the momentum in a midweek match up against #18 Princeton at home on January 20th, set to begin at 6:00 PM. 

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