MALIBU, Calif. --- Tuesday evening concluded the Vanguard men's volleyball season, as the Blue and Gold fell 3-1 to Concordia in the opening round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament. Both teams showcased dominant performances in the first two frames at Firestone Fieldhouse, as each team split the first two periods with identical scores of 25-16. The Golden Eagles came from behind to sneak away with the third set 27-25 and closed the deal in the fourth set 25-22.

VU closes the season at 8-18, while CUI (10-18, 3-9) will look for an upset against Grand Canyon in the second round of the MPSF tournament tomorrow evening.

Logan Freemon led the Blue and Gold with 12 kills and two service aces, swinging for .286 in the contest. Nick Dvorak had his third double-digit kill performance to end his season, tallying 10 kills and three blocks. The freshman also hit a lethal .625 (10-0-16) to cap off his ninth errorless game of his career. Phinehas Wiley cashed in nine kills, while Micah Sybesma and Logan Finley had seven kills each. In his final game for the Lions, senior Sean Nguyen earned his third career double-double with a team-high 34 assists and 12 digs.

What Happened?
Set 1- The Blue and Gold had just one attacking error in an impressive .444 hitting (9-1-18) display in the first set and led in aces 4-0. The Golden Eagles were ahead in kills for the period, but saw their hitting halted at a .190 (11-7-21) clip.   Vanguard was the aggressor to get the night underway, jumping out to an 8-2 start, while CUI struggled with four straight errors to start their attack. Nick Dvorak had the first Lion point, as he crushed one through the middle. Sybesma struck soon after to double the VU lead and Wiley's service ace forced the Golden Eagles into an early timeout.

Freemon found his first kills of the night out of the break, striking twice from the outside to push the Lions up 9-3. The Golden Eagles tried to gain ground with a 3-0 burst, but VU anchored command with a 4-0 response, which was capped by Nguyen's service ace. The Lions placed their lead into double-figures (18-8) and never relinquished control. CUI was the stronger side in the closing stages, finishing on an 8-5 run, but the Vanguard buffer was enough to seal the set.

Set 2- CUI used their late set one surge to take over in the second frame, outhitting the Lions .500 (14-3-22) to .238 (8-3-21).  The Golden Eagles shot out to a 5-1 start, compelling VU to call a timeout. Wiley combined with Nguyen to finish a much-needed kill, as the Lions pushed a 5-4 trade with the Golden Eagles to trail by three (9-6 CUI). Concordia reasserted its lead with a 10-3 run, as Sybesma was the only Lion to find the mark on the kill counter. CUI continued their march toward set point with their second ace of the stanza. Nick Dvorak supplied the final Vanguard kill of the frame, as CUI settled the score 1-1.

Set 3- CUI trailed nearly the entire set but caught heat late to steal the stanza and jump out to a 2-1 lead. Both teams were neighboring a 1.000 hitting percentage to kick off the set, as Freemon and Finley fueled the VU advances to place the Lions ahead 6-3. CUI netted a line shot to pull one back, but Vanguard issued a 6-4 split to keep the Golden Eagles at bay. Jacob Bayston dished the ball toward Nguyen for an easy kill at the front of the net and Wiley cranked one off the blocks for another Lion point. Sybesma's ace heading into the media timeout marked the largest VU lead of the frame (6) at 15-9 Lions.

CUI would not cause problems until the final stretch of the interval, as a 3-0 run helped pinch them within two (21-19 VU). A pair of VU attacking errors kept the Lions from pulling away, but Freemon still managed to trigger a set point at 24-22 Vanguard. With their backs against the wall, CUI went red hot, firing a 5-1 run to cut down the VU lead and leapfrog the Blue and Gold in total set score.   The Lions issued out more total attacks and converted at a rate of .261 (16-4-46). The Golden Eagles went for just .184 (14-7-38) but took the reins at the service line (3-1). 

Set 4- With 10 ties and three lead changes, the Lions fought tooth and nail in their concluding set of the 2025 campaign. They connected for more kills than CUI but trailed in hitting percentage with a .308 rate (11-3-26) compared to .211 (13-5-38). Neither team found a service ace in the closing stanza, but VU's nine service errors compared to CUI's four proved to be key factors.  The set's opening phase saw each side succumb to a cluster of attacking errors. Kills from Wiley, Freemon, and Finley helped the Blue and Gold establish a rhythm, as the score was tied 10-all.

Concordia's attempt to wedge a decisive gap between the pairing proved difficult, as Wiley continued terminating from the left side to keep VU on the hunt. His third kill of the period made it a one-point set at 20-19 CUI. The Golden Eagle's momentum, however, could not be halted. Concordia sported a 3-2 run and a Vanguard service error placed the Golden Eagles at match-point. CUI pierced through the VU defense on the following point to close out the season for the Blue and Gold.