Volleyball fell to No. 2 Concordia University of Irvine in the Golden State Athletic Conference championship match on Saturday, making it their third loss of the season. The Eagles took Concordia to five sets, but ultimately fell behind in the final set to give Concordia their third-straight conference championship. Biola finished second overall in GSAC.
The Eagles started out hot in the beginning of the first set and led Concordia 3-0. Concordia was quick to recover and take the lead 13-11. Biola rallied against Concordia but was too far behind to steal the lead and fell to Concordia 18-25.
Biola was not going to let Concordia walk away with an easy win. In the second set the Eagles remained focused during the long rallies and surged ahead of Concordia 9-4.
“Long rallies always change the pace of the game,” sophomore outside hitter Britta Blaser said. “The longer the rally, the worse or better it can be for you or the other team. We needed to focus on bettering the ball and remaining focused to come out on top.”
After Concordia made a comeback to tie the game at 13, head coach Aaron Seltzer called a timeout in an effort to regain momentum. From there Biola and Concordia fought point by point through long rallies.
The Eagles clawed their way through the remaining points to win the set 25-19 off an ace from junior middle blocker Amy Weststeyn.
NECK AND NECK
Biola was put in a tough spot in the third set, trailing behind Concordia 10-5. Weststeyn produced a kill in an effort to get the momentum back on Biola’s side. The Eagles looked to be catching up at 9-12 but, due to unforced errors piling up on Biola’s side, fell behind 9-15. Despite the Eagles’ best efforts, Concordia was able to come out on top 20-25.
The Eagles were able to find their groove in the fourth set and surfed ahead of Concordia 13-5. Concordia was able to regain composure and make Biola’s lead smaller at 14-11.
Concordia was not going away that easy. They found the holes in BU’s defense and took advantage of the unforced errors to take the lead 20-18. Biola remained calm during the long rally and grabbed the lead 22-21. The Eagles pushed through and took the fourth set 25-22.
In the fifth and final set, Concordia blew past the Eagles and established an early lead at 5-2. Biola fell behind after multiple failed attempts to get past Concordia’s block.
Coach Seltzer called a timeout at 10-5 to get the team to regroup, but the Eagles could not overcome the early lead and lost 15-6 to Concordia.
Although the Eagles lost, they still have a number of accomplishments to be excited about. The Eagles finished with only three losses the entire season with an overall record of 22-3 and 12-2 in conference play. Biola also had five players named all-GSAC, and Weststeyn was named GSAC player of the year.
The Eagles now look forward to the NAIA championships. Last year, Biola made it to the semi-final round before falling to Concordia in four sets. This year the Eagles have their eyes set on winning the championship.
“We need to remember that we have a clean slate and forget about the Concordia game and realize that we still have the potential to take the championship,” sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Mason said. “We need to go in there confidently and expecting the games to go to five [sets].”
The Eagles will compete in the NAIA championship tournament Dec. 3-7 in Sioux city, IA.
