LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team returned to the sand against a familiar foe on Friday morning, dropping a 5-0 decision to No. 8 Loyola Marymount University at the LMU Beach Volleyball Courts.
The matchup marked a rematch from earlier this season, where the Lions also earned a 5-0 victory over the Golden Eagles. Facing one of the top teams in the nation, CUI competed across all flights but was unable to break through as LMU improved to 13-5 overall.
CUI 0, LMU 5
The dual opened at the No. 4 position, where Jayda Tupea and Jordan Vander Veen squared off with Josefine Schaekel and Liv Johnson. LMU struck first with a 21-12, 21-8 win to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Lions quickly added to their advantage at the No. 2 flight. Kelia Giusta and Ashley Rossi battled Chloe Hooker and Anna Pelloia, but LMU secured the match in straight sets, 21-10, 21-16, to move ahead 2-0.
The clinching point came shortly after, as Julie Watney and Teagan Algarra fell 21-10, 21-10 to Kiana Stevenson and Clover Crenshaw, giving the Lions an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
With the team result decided, LMU continued to press. At the No. 5 position, Rosie Cline and Madi Kelly dropped a 21-18, 21-9 decision, pushing the score to 4-0.
On the top court, Gabrielle Reinking and Aliyah Moore put together one of Concordia's most competitive performances of the day but fell 21-16, 21-17 to Magdalena Rabitsch and Ines Piret.
The final match to finish came at the No. 3 flight, where Olivia Medina and Taylor Soule battled throughout before falling 21-15, 21-17, completing the 5-0 sweep.
UP NEXT
The Green and Gold returns to action on Saturday at the Asics Classic in Malibu, beginning with a matchup against the Tulane Green Wave at 1:00 p.m., followed by a dual against Pepperdine University at 3:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI beach volleyball schedule
