SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican women's volleyball got out to a strong start but faded down the stretch as it fell 3-2 (23-25, 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13) Saturday afternoon to Concordia University Irvine at the Conlan Center.

Sophomore Catherine Johnson led the Penguins (7-17, 5-14 PacWest) with 17 kills and four digs. Senior Cat Thomason added 10 kills and three blocks, while freshman Mariah Ahid ended with 15 kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter Josie Walser contributed a double-double of 54 assists and 29 digs for Dominican.

Cambria Fernandez led the Eagles (8-20, 7-13 PacWest) with 13 kills, six digs and four blocks. Ailsa Watson added 37 assists and three service aces for Concordia.

The Eagles jumped out of the gates with a 4-0 run behind two aces from Watson, but senior Brittany Latigue sparked the Penguins on their own 4-point run with two kills to tie the set. Ahid then bookended a kill by Latigue to push Dominican in front 7-5 moments later. The set remained close until a 5-0 run by the Penguins increased their lead to 16-12 down the stretch, but the Eagles battled back and eventually took the 20-19 lead after several Dominican errors. Johnson found the floor for a kill and freshman Samantha Brown added an ace to right the ship for the Penguins as they ended the set on a 4-1 run to take the first set.

Concordia jumped out to an early 4-1 lead once again in the second set behind a kill and ace from Riley Gill. Dominican slowly chipped away until they tied the set at 6 on a block from Thomason and Walser. The set continued to go back and forth as Walser highlighted a 4-0 run with two kills to give the Penguins a two-point edge, but errors gave the lead right back to the Eagles. With Concordia leading 22-18 late in the set, Johnson found the floor for a kill and sophomore Hana Wyles added an ace to spark a comeback. Ahid tied the match with a kill and then again found the floor to give the Penguins set point. Freshman Braelyn Wakefield ended it with an ace to make it 2-0 Dominican.

The third set saw the teams trade leads on small runs to an 18-18 tie. After Concordia gained a little separation late, Johnson found the floor on a kill and added a block to tie it back up at 21. Fernandez was able to close it out for Concordia with two kills on a set-ending 3-1 run.

Julia DenBoer and Fernandez led the Eagles to a 6-2 lead in the fourth, combining for four kills and a block during a 6-0 run. The Penguins battled back to tie the match at 7 behind a block and a kill from Kate Even. The score remained close for the next several minutes until a kill by Gill and Watson's third ace helped Concordia to a 23-20 lead and they would close it out to tie the match at two sets.

The fifth set was a battle of wills as each run was answered by the other team until a 10-10 tie. Two Eagle errors gave Dominican the 12-11 advantage, but DenBoer led a 3-0 charge with a kill and a block assist to set Concordia up at match point. The Penguins gave it their best to come back one last time, but DenBoer found the floor down the line for the 15-13 match winner.

Dominican will head across the bay to take on Academy of Art at 7 p.m. PDT Monday night at Kezar Pavilion. Live stats and video will be available.