IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in style on Saturday at the OC Great Park, sweeping The Master's University 5-0 before earning a 4-1 victory over MiraCosta College to cap a perfect afternoon for the Golden Eagles.
Before the competition began, Concordia honored its senior class of Olivia Medina, Aliyah Moore, Emma Hugeback, Teagan Algarra, Kelia Giusta, Madi Kelly, and Kennedy Farley.
CUI 5, THE MASTER'S 0
The Golden Eagles opened the day with a dominant sweep over The Master's, winning all five scoring flights in straight sets.
The duo of Giusta and Ashley Rossi set the tone at the No. 2 position, cruising to a decisive 21-11, 21-8 victory to give CUI an early advantage. Shortly after, Hugeback and Algarra delivered another steady performance at the No. 4 court, winning 21-19, 21-19 to push the Golden Eagles closer to the team win.
The clinching point came from the top flight where Moore and Gabby Reinking controlled the match from start to finish, defeating Zoe Yates and Emma Winter 21-11, 21-13 to secure the dual.
With the team victory already sealed, Concordia continued to pile on wins. Medina and Jordan Vander Veen earned a 21-14, 21-10 win at No. 3, while Madi Kelly and Jayda Tupea closed out the sweep with a 21-12, 21-16 victory at the fifth flight.
CUI 4, MIRACOSTA 1
In the afternoon dual, Concordia faced a tougher challenge but still came away with a convincing 4-1 victory over MiraCosta.
Hugeback and Algarra struck first again at the No. 4 position with a solid 21-18, 21-12 win to give the Golden Eagles the early momentum. Giusta and Rossi followed with another strong outing at No. 2, dispatching their opponents 21-9, 21-17 to extend the lead.
MiraCosta picked up its lone point at the No. 5 court, but Concordia responded behind Medina and Vander Veen at the No. 3 flight. The pair battled through a tightly contested match, taking the first set 22-20, dropping the second 9-21, before rallying in the tiebreaker 15-13 to clinch the dual victory for CUI.
Moore and Reinking capped the day in dramatic fashion at the top flight, outlasting their opponents in a three-set thriller 24-22, 20-22, 15-12 to secure Concordia's fourth point of the match.
UP NEXT
CUI will travel north next weekend for the Asics Classic beach volleyball tournament, opening the event at Loyola Marymount on Friday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. before heading to Malibu for two matches against the Tulane Green Wave and Pepperdine University.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI beach volleyball schedule
