COSTA MESA – Concordia-Irvine hit .363 overall to hand the Vanguard men's volleyball team a four-set loss on Tuesday at The Pit. Set scores were 25-19, 27-29, 25-22, 25-20.

The Lions dropped to 8-3 on the season while the Eagles improved to 6-4.

What Happened?: Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) led the Lions with 17 kills and hit .333 for the match. Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) and Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) added eight kills apiece, with Roussin also producing three service aces.

Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) dished out 41 assists as the Lions hit .248 (49-22-109) overall. Cameron Way (SR/Dana Point, CA) posted a match-high 10 digs.

For Concordia, Owen Chun tallied a match-high 18 kills on .483 hitting, while Gil Herold had 13 kills.

Set 1

Vanguard had the Eagles within its sights but a late run gave Concordia a 25-19 victory. The Lions trailed 7-6 on a Roussin ace, but the Eagles went up 10-7 on a VU attack error.

The Lions churned out a 5-2 run to tie the set at 12-12 thanks to a double block from Roussin and Linden.

However, Concordia scored four straight points via Jonathan Carlson to take a 16-12 lead. Carlson earned a kill, then reeled off three straight aces.

Carlson's service error gave Vanguard a momentary reprieve at 16-13, and the Lions still trailed by three when Roussin's kill made the score 18-15. But the Eagles scored the next three points to open up a six-point cushion and ended up winning the set by six.

The Eagles hit .476 in the frame.

Set 2

The Lions hit .333 to take a tightly contested 29-27 set two.

Anema posted seven kills to aid the Lion cause. Vanguard took a 4-1 lead as Anema slammed two early kills.

The Lions engineered a 4-1 run to expand the lead to 10-5 on Roussin's ace. The Lions led by six, 14-8, on Anema's kill.

Concordia stormed back with five straight points as Chun and Carlson went to work with two kills each during the run.

The run eventually became 8-1 as Concordia took the lead at 16-15 on a VU attack error.

The score was tied 10 times the rest of the way as the teams went extra points to decide the set.

The last tie occurred at 27-27. From there, the Lions grabbed the win on Anema's seventh kill of the set followed by a Carlson attack error for Concordia.

Set 3

It was Concordia's turn to stake an early lead as the Eagles went up 7-3 on a double block. The Eagles led by five, 10-5, on a VU service error.

The Lions eventually drew within one. Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA) pounded a kill as VU closed within 16-15. The two teams traded points as the deficit for the Lions remained one at 19-18.

With the Lion faithful energized, VU took its first lead of the set at 20-19 on another double roof from Roussin and Linden.

Chun scored for Concordia and Linden for Vanguard as the Lions continued to lead 21-20.

But the Eagles responded with three crucial kills – two by Mason Mullins and one from Chun to take a 23-21 lead. Anema cut the lead to one with a kill, but Concordia closed out the 25-22 win on Chun's putaway and a double block from Mullins and Carlson.

Chun had five kills in the set.

Set 4

Tightly contested early on, the teams were tied at 5-5. However, a 3-0 Eagle run opened up an 8-5 advantage as Chun struck again for two straight kills.

The Lions answered back with three of the next four points as Anema's kill made it 9-8 Concordia.

But the Eagles forced a VU timeout after scoring another three points. Herold and Chun combined on a block as Concordia took a 12-8 lead. Will Migdal's ace extended the lead to 13-8 out of the timeout.

Concordia eventually led by as much as nine points at 20-11, but Vanguard didn't quit. A 5-1 VU run narrowed the deficit to 21-16.

Anema's kill made the score 24-20, but Herold closed out the match with his 13th kill.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions got an opportunity to play a former GSAC rival that now plays in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

What Was Said?: "We battled tonight. We were not able to sustain playing clean volleyball throughout extended periods of time, but our response out of those stretches was true competitiveness," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter. "We will be better and find ways to consistently sustain that efficient volleyball over more time and more matches."

What's Next?: After five straight at home, the Lions head out on the road for four straight contests. Vanguard makes the Arizona swing this weekend, taking on Arizona Christian on Friday, March 4 at 5:00 p.m.