IRVINE, Calif. --- Biola Volleyball went the distance with Concordia on Wednesday night, falling 3-2 (25-22, 9-25, 26-24, 14-25, 9-15) at CU Arena.
Biola took two of the first three sets and carried a 2-1 advantage into the fourth, but Concordia responded to force a deciding fifth set. The result moved the Eagles to 16-5 overall and 11-3 in PacWest play, while CUI improved to 18-4 and 11-2.
The Eagles overcame an early deficit in the opening set and worked their way into an 18-18 tie before taking control late.
Madison Moore put Biola ahead 20-19, and BU stretched the advantage to 22-19. Concordia pulled back within one at 23-22, but an attack error followed by a
Haylee LaFontaine kill secured the 25-22 win.
Concordia answered in the second behind a strong stretch from the service line. CUI turned a 6-5 lead into a 15-5 advantage behind a nine-point run and went on to take the set 25-9, evening the match at one apiece.
Biola responded with a strong start in the third.
Savannah Simpson delivered three-consecutive service aces as the Eagles built a 6-1 advantage and eventually extended their lead to 19-14. Concordia battled back with a 9-1 run to move ahead 23-20 and later reached set point at 24-23.
The Eagles answered when Simpson put down a kill to tie the set at 24. Biola then forced consecutive Concordia attack errors to complete the comeback and take the frame 26-24, giving the Eagles a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Concordia regained momentum in the fourth. Biola remained within three at 11-8 before CUI put together an eight-point run to build a 19-8 lead. The Golden Eagles went on to take the set 25-14 and force a deciding fifth.
CUI carried that momentum into the final frame, opening a 4-1 advantage and later extending its lead to 10-5. Biola cut the deficit to three at 11-8, but Concordia scored four of the final five points to close out the set 15-9 and take the match.
Moore led the Eagles offensively with 12 kills, while LaFontaine added nine.
Hannah Guzzetti and
Payton Tully each finished with four kills, while
Alex Strating and Simpson added three apiece. Guzzetti also totaled five blocks, including one solo, while Strating contributed three block assists.
Lexi Lambert dished out a team-high 20 assists, while
Hannah Hanson added 12 assists and three service aces. Simpson led Biola from the service line with four aces.
Caprice Cooper paced the back row with 15 digs, followed by
Sophia Knevelbaard with nine.
Concordia finished with 57 kills compared to Biola's 36 and held a 16-8 advantage in service aces. The Eagles recorded eight total blocks in the five-set match.
Biola continues its road stretch on Saturday, Oct. 24 with a matchup at Vanguard.
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