MALIBU, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team endured a challenging start to Friday before rallying in impressive fashion, dropping its opener to Pepperdine University and responding with a thrilling 3-2 victory over to remain undefeated against University of San Francisco this season.
CUI 1, Pepperdine 4
The Golden Eagles opened the day against Pepperdine, battling across all five courts but ultimately coming up short in a 4-1 decision.
CUI 3, San Francisco 2
The Green and Gold responded in its second match of the day with a gritty 3-2 win over San Francisco, highlighted by a clutch three-set victory to decide the dual.
CUI struck first at the No. 5 position, where Jayda Tupea and Emma Hugeback earned a 21-19, 21-13 straight-set win to give the Golden Eagles an early lead.
The Dons answered at No. 1, leveling the score at 1-1 with a 21-16, 21-19 victory over Gabrielle Reinking and Olivia Medina.
Ashley Rossi and Kelia Giusta restored the advantage for Concordia at the No. 2 spot, delivering a strong 21-11, 21-18 performance to put CUI ahead 2-1.
San Francisco once again evened the dual with a straight-set win at No. 4, setting the stage for a decisive match at the No. 3 position.
With the dual on the line, Aliyah Moore and Rosie Cline stepped up in dramatic fashion. After dropping the opening set 21-19, the pair rallied to take the second set 21-15 before closing out the match with a 15-13 win in the third, clinching the team victory for the Golden Eagles.
An exhibition match followed, with San Francisco taking the contest in straight sets.
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles finish off the regular season at the Long Beach State Tournament, featuring matchups against Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge on Saturday, April 11, in Long Beach.
