LA MIRADA---The Biola volleyball team defeated Concordia University Irvine in a five-set thriller on Saturday night. The Eagles won 22-25, 25-19, 14-25, 25-20, 15-7 over the Golden Eagles at Chase Gymnasium.

"We're so proud of the girls for the resilience they showed tonight," shared head coach Brian Failinger. "Concordia played and is coached incredibly well, and put tons of pressure on us. But the team kept their heads and made some great in game adjustments, and most importantly they responded with focused energy every time CUI made a push." 

"Everyone who came in the game was locked in and did their job well," concluded Failinger. "It was a great breakthrough match for the team in many ways."

Kendall Vandertuig led Biola's offensive effort with 26 kills, tying her career high that she set in September against Westmont. The redshirt-Senior leads her team with 295 kills this season and has the second-most in the PacWest Conference.

"We knew it was going to be a battle coming in," stated Vandertuig. "We were tired, coming off a big win last night, and we knew we would have to fight."

Concordia had a strong start, hitting .250 in the first set. Despite an impressive start from Biola's Vandertuig, who posted five early kills, CUI capitalized on late Biola errors to take the opener 25-22.

BU bounced back in set two. Hannah Hanson distributed 12 assists as Biola's attack came alive behind Payton Tully and Juliana Van Ommering, who combined for eight kills. The defense steadied as well, limiting CUI to a .147 hitting percentage. Biola maintained its rhythm throughout, closing the frame 25-19 to even the match.

CUI swung momentum back its way in the third, hitting .533 as Biola struggled to find offensive consistency. The visitors cruised to a 25-14 win behind a balanced attack.

With their backs against the wall, Biola flipped the switch in set four. Vandertuig led the charge with seven kills in the frame while Hannah Guzzetti and Hanson combined for three blocks to slow CUI's momentum. The Eagles' hitting soared to .405, sealing the set 25-20 and forcing a decisive fifth.

The final frame was all Biola. Van Ommering delivered a clutch performance, igniting the set with back-to-back kills. She finished the fifth with three kills and a crucial service ace that helped Biola establish a commanding lead. Vandertuig was once again unstoppable, adding four kills in the set and finished the night with a .420 hitting percentage. Biola's defense held CUI to a -.158 clip in the final set and closed the match at 15-7.

Guzzetti contributed on both sides of the net, notching seven kills and a team-best six block assists. Simi Kapustova also made her mark defensively, totaling four total blocks.

Biola improved 15-7 overall while CUI fell 11-10. The Eagles play next on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. against Point Loma at Chase Gymnasium.