Biola faced their first defeat in Golden State Athletic Conference play tonight when they took on the Concordia University Eagles.
Standouts on the court were junior outside hitter Alyssa Mason finishing with 15 kills and freshman defensive specialist Tess Van Grouw, helping the team with a total of 9 solid passes.
With a crowd that filled the entirety of the stands, No.6 Biola stepped onto the court to face their No.3 rival and impressed everyone with their intensity. Biola won the first set, ending in a 5 point run that brought the final score to 25-20.
The second set proved to have a slow start for both teams. After much rallying senior outside hitter Britta Blaser and junior middle blocker Lauren Hoenecke worked together and had three consecutive blocks towards the end of the set.
Finishing up, Concordia overpowered and won with a tight score of 28-26.
Biola started the next one with low energy and a lack of communication, trailing 7-1 almost immediately. Although bringing in some different players helped Biola gain momentum, Concordia still prevailed. With the biggest score gap of the night, Biola lost the third set 25-19.
Providing competition that made the crowd stand to their feet, the fourth set went point for point. Biola had some amazing blocks that provided stability to their defensive game.
“I thought our blockers did awesome. [They] make defense so much easier, and so our blockers did a phenomenal job tonight.” Said junior libero Alex Brehaut.
Even coming into this game with 218 digs this season and gaining 13 tonight, Brehaut stays reliant on the front row to build a defensive wall.
The fourth set ended in Biola’s favor, 25-21.
The last set of the night was doubly exciting, but the team was not as successful. Biola stayed with Concordia and had several kills paired with great digs, but could not pull through. The game came to a close at 15-13, Concordia with the win.
This loss brings Biola’s record to 2-1 in GSAC. Eagles volleyball will play away at San Diego Christian College at 7p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
