IRVINE, Calif.– The Sea Lions were on the road Friday night to face PacWest foe, Concordia Irvine. The Eagles proved to be a tough test for Point Loma, but it was the Sea Lions who found a way to earn the five-set win. The teams traded set wins as each jockeyed for game momentum, with the Sea Lions earning the fifth set win, 15-12.
 
It was the Eagles who came out firing in set one as they put down 16 kills while holding the Sea Lions to a .064 hitting percentage. The Sea Lions responded in a big way in set two as they put down 21 kills in the set on their way to a 25-20 win. Concordia went up big in the third set, leading 20-11, and despite a late run by the Sea Lions, the Eagles took the 2-1 set lead. The fourth set was all Point Loma as they overpowered the Eagles on their way to a 25-14 win. Set five went back and forth, but after the Eagles tied the match at 12-12, the Sea Lions fired off the last three points to close out the match.
 
Defense was huge for Point Loma as they put up 10 blocks and tallied 90 digs in the match. Celeste Friesen led the way with 25 digs, while Courtney Dyer totaled 17. Rachael Schlect tallied 15 digs as well as swinging for 16 kills. Jaime Cymbaluk led the offense with 19 kills on an efficient .405 hitting percentage, while also adding a solo block and two block assists. Cara Keturakis was just shy of a triple double as she totaled 48 assists, nine digs, and nine kills on the night.

Team Records
PLNU (10-7, 7-3 PacWest), CUI (6-12, 5-5 PacWest)

PacWest Implications
The Sea Lions move to 7-3 in PacWest, which puts them in sole possession of fourth place. Hawaii Hilo and APU both have one loss, while Biola only has two losses in conference play this season.
 
Turning Point
After falling behind two sets to one, Point Loma won big in set four. They started the match out 6-2, and only allowed the Eagles to score back-to-back points on two occasions. The momentum shifted fully in Point Loma's favor after the win and carried over to the fifth set where they clinched the match.
 
Scott's Thoughts
On battling back to win: "We had to make a few adjustments and we didn't know how it would go, but the team stepped up to get an impressive win."

On the success of the outside hitters: "It was a strange match where both teams seemed unstoppable at times. A big part of that was good offense but a big part of it seemed to be the defense was a step slow on both sides. We will certainly take a lot of the kills we got but it wasn't our best offensive performance."

On being prepared to face Fresno Pacific: "They're going to be well rested and these back-to-backs are always tough, the girls won't get to bed until super late. I think we will be okay, we just need to show up and continue to grind and play one point at a time."

Scoring Summary
Set 1: CUI 25, PLNU 21
Set 2: PLNU 25, CUI 20
Set 3: CUI 25, PLNU 20
Set 4: PLNU 25, CUI 14
Set 5: PLNU 15, CUI 12

News and Notes. 
> Cymbaluk hit .400 or better for the fifth time this season, the most by any Sea Lion hitter this season. 
> Schlect notched her sixth double-double of the season, the freshman reached the mark after just two sets. 
> Keturakis' 48 assists were her second-highest total of the season. 
> The Sea Lions are now 2-1 in five-set matches this season. 
> This was only the third time PLNU has notched double-digit blocks as a team. 

Up Next
Point Loma returns home tomorrow to host Fresno Pacific, looking for a fourth consecutive PacWest victory. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.