IRVINE, Calif. – Dominican women's volleyball fell 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 22-25, 25-18) Saturday evening to Concordia University Irvine at CU Arena.
 
Kate Even led the Penguins (4-11, 2-8 PacWest) with 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while Josie Walser added 32 assists, 10 digs and four aces. Cat Thomason added 10 kills and three blocks for Dominican. Patience O'Neal led all players with 15 kills for the Eagles (7-12, 6-5 PacWest).
 
Jordan Mineer had two kills and a block to lead an early 6-1 run for Concordia to take an 8-3 lead. O'Neal then sparked a late 5-point run with a kill as the Eagles continued to pull away to a 25-12 victory in the first set.
 
The Penguins saw more success in the second set taking a quick 3-1 lead after a kill by Even, but the Eagles quickly retook a lead at 6-5 behind two kills from Hannah Tostado. The set remained close until Riley Gill found the floor with a kill and Ailsa Watson added an ace during a 3-0 run that gave Concordia a five point lead. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set as the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Walser started the third set on fire for Dominican, serving up three aces to help open the set on a 5-0 run. The Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead and Gill cut the gap to two at 10-8 with a kill. After trading points for the next several minutes, Even, Brittania Chan and Mariah Ahid each had kills after some scrappy defensive play to expand the lead back to five at 17-12. Concordia charged back and Mineer tied the match at 18 with a kill, but Dominican was able to regroup quickly and Samantha Brown served up an ace to spark a 3-0 run that gave them all the room they would need to take the set.
 
The fourth set began with the teams each going on large runs in the early going. The Eagles capitalized on several errors in the fourth set to jump out to a 6-1 lead, but Thomason led a 6-point run that gave Dominican back the lead. Jaclyn Brown had a block assist and a kill to answer for Concordia as they retook the lead on a 4-0 run. The Penguins took their turn, capitalizing on several errors before Thomason found the floor for a kill to tie the set at 10. Brianna Latigue served up a pair of aces for the Eagles as they created the breathing room they needed with a 6-0 run on their way to the 25-18 victory.
 
Dominican will conclude its road trip Wednesday at Notre Dame de Namur at 7 p.m. PDT at Walter Gleason Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available online.