Box Score IRVINE, Calif. --- Another monumental performance from Amy Weststeyn leads Biola to a monumental win over Golden State Athletic Conference rival, Concordia, on Tuesday night. It was not the prettiest of contests, but Head Coach Aaron Seltzer and crew are fine with the result.
 
"We needed that win. It was great for our confidence," said Seltzer. "Concordia did not make it easy on us. I have nothing but respect for our opponent, but we were able to focus defensively on a few areas of their attack and shut them down."
 
Biola's ability to adjust defensively to a new-look Concordia attack forced the home team to 24 attack errors and a hitting percentage in the low-200s over the course of the four-set match.
 
The win helped Biola improve to 19-4 (9-1 GSAC) on the season and drops No. 2 Concordia to 22-2 (8-1 GSAC). Biola took the first set and final two sets in its 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 28-26) win.
 
The first set was off to a quick start for the host, but after falling behind 3-0 quickly, Biola made some adjustments and, after battling back to 7-7, used a 6-1 run to gain what would be an insurmountable lead.
 
The issues in Concordia's attack were especially evident in a first set that saw the reigning GSAC champions hitting in the negatives for a majority of play. They adjusted, rebounded, and played better to bring the set close at the end, but ultimately fell.
 
Adjustments continued in set number two as CUI's head coach Trevor Johnson worked his club into a rhythm and found a defensive weakness on Biola's side to exploit. CUI seemed to gain control of the match with the set two win at home, but adjustments from Seltzer and a crowd of die-hard Biola fans helped get the upset back on track.
 
"They had to make adjustments and we had to make adjustments. It was not the prettiest match," said Seltzer. "It had a different vibe and was not played technically well. However, we managed ourselves well, managed the crowd well and played with a lot of heart."
 
That heart is what got the No. 5 Eagles through two challenging final sets. In both cases, Biola earned a healthy lead only to succumb to a few long runs of points by Concordia to allow the opponent back into the match.
 
The fourth set, which would turn out to be the clincher, was a very intense battle between a visiting team on the edge of an upset and a home team doing all it could to defend its court.
 
Biola built itself an 11-5 lead and was roaring toward the finish line early on, but a patient approach by Concordia allowed the home school to chip away at the deficit bit by bit before ultimately going on an 8-1 run to secure and 23-21 advantage and look to force a fifth set.
 
The visitor refocused and rattled off four straight points with Tess Van Grouw serving. The points came right when they needed to and came from the right people, Weststeyn and fellow NAIA All-American Joclyn Kirton.
 
Points continued to go back-and-forth until ultimately a Crissy Cunningham kill followed a CUI attack error and the book was closed, with Biola earning its second victory in the last three tries over Concordia.
 
Weststeyn was absolutely key to the win tonight, earning 18 kills and six blocks to lift Biola to its latest victory. Joclyn Kirton, Crissy Cunningham and Alyssa Mason had the next best nights on attack with 10, 9 and 9 kills, respectively.
 
"Amy stepped up in a big way for us tonight and we needed that," said Seltzer. "We needed her and her leadership and she gave us all she had. They shut her down pretty well last time we played, but not tonight."
 
Biola still has a long road ahead, with seven conference matches and three matches outside of the GSAC. Over that span they have the pleasure of hosting the reigning national champions and traveling to meet three conference foes perennially ranked inside the NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll.
 
Its schedule continues next week with a Tuesday evening home match against CSU San Marcos (16-8).