IRVINE, Calif. – In their penultimate match before the conference schedule begins, women's volleyball marched on to their sixth win in a row, taking down Concordia 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-16, 25-17) at CU Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Blue and Gold led in every major statistical category and improved to 8-1 overall, becoming the first team to top the Golden Eagles on their home court this season. CUI faces its second straight defeat, shifting to a 6-3 record.

Adeline Galvanoni made it 100 kills on the season so far, putting together a game-high 14 kill performance on a .286 (14-4-35) hitting percentage. She also tied her career-high for blocks with five at the net. Outside hitters Morgan Cole and Viktoria Dickson each had eight kills and 10 digs. Kate Fagundes was a match-best 15 digs from the back row.

VU's presence in the front row was bolstered by Payton Darm and Kayla Robinson, who combined for 13 kills and tallied just two attack errors between them. Darm delivered her season's best at the net with six block assists, while Robinson claimed three blocks and her second ace of the year. Setter Macy Kavanaugh earned her second career double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs. Transfer Abby Lutterloh continued her fine form from the service line, with three service aces.

Nearly half of the total CUI kills came from the dynamic duo from the Pacific West Conference Preseason Watchlist, Caitlin Jarrel and Kayden Croy. Croy finished with 12 kills and 10 digs, while Jarrell had 11 kills, hitting an impressive .714 (11-1-14).

What Happened? Seven ties and three lead changes would mark the opening frame as the most competitive of the match. The Lions started with a Dickson kill and a bump set from the senior toward Darm to drive home a 2-1 lead. CUI clipped two kills back, but suffered an attack error to tie the score at 4-4.

The Lions jumped ahead with an 8-3 run off a side-out kill from Robinson. Cole's serving run set up openings for Delaney Hill to get on the board and Galvanoni's first block at the net pulled VU up by five (12-7 VU).

CUI took over with a 12-4 run that was highlighted by a Croy kill and ace. Cole had the only kills in transition for the Lions amid the Golden Eagle ascendance. Down 19-16, Kavanaugh put the Lions back on track. The junior went back to back from the service line, then handed Galvanoni two assists from the right to cement the 6-0 run (22-19 VU). CUI finally got Kavanaugh off the service line with a side-out kill, but Galvanoni finished the set with the last four Lion kills to win the frame 25-21.

VU led in hitting percentage, .391 (13-4-23) to .267 (13-5-30), while CUI had a slight edge in aces, 3-2.

Set 2- CUI fired off a staggering .522 (13-1-23) clip in the second period. VU hit their match-low at .154 (10-6-26).

Once again, Dickson and Darm had the first points for a 2-0 Lion advantage. It stood as the only VU lead of the set however, as CUI latched onto a 4-0 swing to set the pace. Galvanoni tooled off the block for the Lions' next point, but VU had trouble finding promising seams to attack. Three VU errors built the CUI lead, and a Jarrell ace pinched the score at 12-7.

The Golden Eagles broke away midway through the set, enlisting a 9-3 run to become the first side to breach 20 points (21-10 CUI). Julia Ringenberg found an ace to get the Lions back in rhythm, but their 5-4 run to end the stanza was not enough to fight off the Concordia lead.

Set 3- Concordia's best hitting set was unfortunately followed by their toughest of the day, as they committed eight attack errors to hit .081 (11-8-37).  The Lions pinned a consistent .258 (11-3-31) in the frame, but were most impressive at the net, leading 4-2 in blocks.

First blood went to Darm and the Lions, as the agile middle enjoyed strong combo play with Kavanaugh, resulting in a 2-2 score. CUI suffered four attack errors to spark a Vanguard run, as Lutterloh finished her 7-0 serving run with an ace (9-2 VU). Concordia was forced into two more errors, but used three kills from Jarrell to draw back within four (13-9 VU).

The deficit was as close as VU would allow CUI to approach, as Darm and Galvaoni went on cruise control on the double blocks, netting two straight denials to keep CUI at bay. The set concluded on a 10-6 Lion run, with three kills from Cole and a bruising ball on the outside from Dickson to place VU in control 2-1.

Set 4- The Lions never trailed in the closing set of the match but did have to fight off five Concordia ties. The Blue and Gold leaned on a high-volume hitting selection from Galvanoni, and the senior obliged with six kills.

Kavanaugh's defensive hustle on the strong-willed dig caught CUI off guard, as the Lions scored directly on the overpass to get the set underway. Kills one and two of the frame for Galvanoni, and a pair of CUI attack errors kept the score at 4-4. Each side settled into two more ties before VU put the parity to rest. Started by Robinson's power ace to the back left corner and finished by Lutterloh's ace in the donut, the Lions conducted an 11-3 run for the 17-9 scoreline. CUI tried to feed their hot hitters in the closing stretch, but a pair of kills from Hill kept the Lions up big at 20-12. Cole produced from the back row for the match point, and the game ended with Dickson's scrape off the block, finishing the job for the 3-1 win.

What's Next? It's on to the PacWest opener for women's volleyball, as they welcome Hawaii Pacific, Thursday, September 25, at 7 pm.