SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team traveled to Northern California for its first matchups of the weekend, enduring a pair of hard-fought 3-2 setbacks at Hornet Beach against Sacramento State and Saint Mary's College. 

CUI 2, Saint Mary's 3

The Golden Eagles clinched the first two points in convincing fashion, starting at the No. 2 position where Olivia Medina and Gabrielle Reinking delivered a dominant 21-13, 21-13 victory. The No. 3 pair of Aliyah Moore and Rosie Cline also secured a key point, grinding out a 21-17, 23-21 straight-set win.

Saint Mary's evened the dual with wins at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. Jordan Vander Veen and Teagan Algarra fell 21-18, 21-13 at No. 4, while Taylor Soule and Emma Hugeback dropped a 21-15, 21-16 decision at No. 5.

The dual ultimately came down to the top court, where Kelia Giusta and Ashley Rossi forced a third set after splitting the first two, but were unable to hold off the Gaels, falling 21-23, 21-19, 15-4.

CUI 2, Sacramento State 3

Follwing the narrow defeat, the Green and Gold dropped the second matchup against Sacramento State in a dual that featured multiple three-set battles.

CUI earned it's first point at the No. 1 position, where Giusta and Rossi controlled the match in a 21-16, 21-15 victory. At No. 2, Medina and Reinking showcased resilience, bouncing back from a first-set loss to win 21-23, 21-17, 15-9 and give CUI a 2-1 advantage in the dual.

Sacramento State responded by taking the final two completed courts. Moore and Cline pushed their No. 3 match to three sets but fell just short, 21-19, 16-21, 16-14. At No. 4, Vander Veen and Algarra were edged in straight sets, 21-19, 21-19.

The Hornets clinched the dual at the No. 5 position, where Madi Kelly and Emma Hugeback fell 21-16, 21-18. 

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles head to San Fransico for a pair of duals against Pepperdine at 10:00 a.m. before facing San Francisco at 12:00 p.m.