IRVINE, Calif. – Fresno Pacific had a difficult night in Irvine on Friday, as the Sunbirds dropped the PacWest Conference opener against Concordia 3-0. Scores from CU Arena were 25-19, 25-14 and 25-18 in favor of the Eagles.
 
FPU falls to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league action with the setback, while CUI moves to a perfect 10-0 overall and 1-0 in the PacWest. Concordia's hot start to the year currently has the Eagles receiving votes in the national poll.
 
The Sunbirds had trouble slowing down the CUI's offense on the evening, as the Eagles hit a season-high .438 as a team. CUI also amassed 11 service aces. FPU struggled at the net with only one block defensively, while the offense countered at a clip of .244.
 
Karah Mitchell played well for the Sunbirds in the loss, as the junior put down 12 kills on .300 hitting. She has now reached double-digit kills in four of five matches. Jasmine Phoolka totaled eight kills (.375) and Montana Lowe added six (.353). Bissie DenHartog dished out a game-high 24 assists and added a co-team-high seven digs.
 
Rachel Flynn, the Preseason PacWest Player of the Year, did it all for Concordia and totaled 15 kills (.583), seven digs and two service aces. Ellie Ladensack added seven kills and Amber Rose chipped in with six.
 
The Sunbirds jump right back into PacWest play tomorrow against California Baptist in Riverside at 5 p.m.