Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Senior night for Biola Volleyball held a lot more importance than it usually does, as the 22-2 (12-1 GSAC) Eagles hosted the 22-2 (12-1 GSAC) Concordia Eagles in a regular season finale that would decide the Golden State Athletic Conference champion.
 
No. 3 Biola played to its first five set match of the entire season and battled, but eventually fell 3-2 (18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 6-15) to No. 2 CUI.
 
The two teams were just about as evenly matched throughout as any volleyball fan could possibly hope to see. They traded sets throughout the match, until the winner of set one took the whole thing, and the automatic berth to the NAIA national championship.
 
Biola came out on fire in front of a huge home crowd and took the first three points from CUI, making a statement that they would not go down without a fight. Concordia took the next four to re-assert their dominance, and the two heavyweights battle was off from that point forward.
 
Points and runs were traded throughout the first set, until a 9-3 run late in the set gave CUI the advantage and the win in the first frame. Concordia got the win in the set because they simply clearly outhit BU, who uncharacteristically hit under .200.
 
Tides changed in the second set as Biola outkilled and outhit the defending national champions in a near-identical fashion as CUI did in the first set. At this point all importance, and momentum, shifted into a make it or break it third set.
 
The storyline continued similar to how it played out the first two times these squads met earlier this season, with CUI looking the far better team in the first, BU dominating in the third and CUI taking the third set and inching closer to the match win.
 
Concordia got off to a blazing start in the third thanks to solid blocking and a few errors and miscommunications on the Biola side. After staving off a fierce BU comeback 15 kills and a .433 attack percentage proved good enough to get the win.
 
The fourth set was absolute do-or-die time for the No. 3 Eagles who were looking to be the first team to knock Concordia off the top of the GSAC in three years. The fans, players and coaches all knew the importance of the fourth set, and it made for the best atmosphere all season inside Chase Gymnasium.
 
After trailing for most of the previous set, the Eagles staged a 5-0 run early in set four to ensure they could play with a little bit of a buffer in order to keep Concordia at a distance. The buffer worked, as CUI played behind the entire set until pulling ahead 21-19, where they sat just four points away from another GSAC championship.
 
Senior Gracee Gallarda stepped in as the server and gave BU the advantage they needed to pull back ahead and claim the fourth set, forcing a tiebreaking fifth set, the Eagles' first on the season.
 
CUI took advantage of really poor hitting to make quick work of Biola in the final set and earn their third straight championship.
 
BU saw strong, double-digit kill, performances out of Joclyn Kirton, Alyssa Mason, Amy Weststeyn and Britta Blaser, and got 47 assists by Gallarda in their third loss of the season. Senior Tara Rallis led BU with 18 digs, and Gallarda got another double-double, picking up 11 digs herself.
 
Both teams were block machines, picking up a combined 18.5 blocks.
 
Following the match Head Coach Aaron Seltzer held a ceremony honoring Chelsee Arnitz, Nicolette Douglas, Gallarda, Rallis and Emily Weingartner, the Eagles' five seniors.
 
Biola finds out their final regular-season ranking and NAIA national championship placement Monday at 10 a.m.