IRVINE, Calif. – Dominican women's volleyball fell 25-17, 25-14, 25-12 Saturday afternoon to Concordia University Irvine in its final road match of the year at CU Arena.

Amani Abed led the Penguins with five kills and two blocks, while Emma Hartvickson and Ella Heckman each added five kills of their own. Kirra Schulz led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills and 14 digs.

CUI started strong from the service line as Ally Scheidle and Kawehi Chang each had an ace to open a 5-1 lead. Scheidle then flashed her attacking prowess with a pair of kills in a 3-0 run to extend the lead to six, but Ella Heckman led a 3-point response as she combined with Abed for a block before finding the floor on a kill to close the gap to 11-8. Errors derailed Dominican's momentum as a kill by Schulz capped a 6-0 run that extended the Golden Eagle lead to nine. Abed found the floor on a kill and Kendal Kibanoff added an ace to propel Dominican on a 3-0 run, but it would not be enough as CUI closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the first set.

Avery Schneider found the court early in the second set to spark a 4-0 run which she ended with an ace to give the Penguins a 7-4 lead. It was short-lived as errors helped the Golden Eagles regain an 11-8 advantage after scoring six-unanswered. Schulz then found the floor for a pair of kills during a 5-0 run that extended the lead to six and Dominican was unable to answer down the stretch as CUI added to its lead on the way to a 25-14 victory in the set and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Kibanoff had another ace to begin the third set as the Penguins held an early 3-2 advantage, but Mattie Prio had a kill and a block during a 5-1 run to give the Golden Eagles a 3-point advantage moments later. After trading points, Hartvickson started a 4-0 run with a kill with Abed capping the surge with back-to-back kills, her second off an overpass that tied the set once again 10-10. CUI had an answer yet again as they went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead for good as they went on to win 25-12 for the sweep.

Dominican will return home Saturday to face University of Hawai'i at Hilo for Senior Day at 7 p.m. PDT at the Conlan Center.