COLUMBIA, SC – The CIU women's volleyball team played their home opener Thursday, fresh off of a win over Columbia College on Tuesday night. The Rams took on conference foe Truett McConnell University who entered the contest with a record of 1-2. The Bears also entered Thursday with 2 wins and 1 loss all-time versus CIU with their most recent match a 3-0 TMU win. Unfortunately for the Rams, TMU would continue their win streak, winning a 3-2 thriller over CIU.
How It Happened:
Set One: Led by a strong start from freshman
Shaniece Steer the Rams would leap out to a 7-2 start after a kill by Steer. The Rams then found themselves deadlocked with the Bears, 15-15 and then again, 25-25. However, Steer and
Megan Lung would help break the tie with back-to-back kills to give the CIU set one, 27-25.
Set Two: The second set started off all Bears as TMU exploded for a 13-3 advantage. The Rams battled back behind consecutive service aces from freshman setter
Kamelia De Jesus to trim the deficit to 17-9. CIU was unable to build momentum despite De Jesus' serving prowess and dropped set two 25-15.
Set Three: The third game of the match would start much like the second, except this time it was the Rams who held an 8-0 lead courtesy of several
Mackenzie Sanchez aces and
Megan Lung kills. The Bears cut CIU's lead to 17-14, but after a few costly TMU errors and an
Abbey Kleist ace, the Rams advantage ballooned to 22-17. The game ended on yet another
Megan Lung kill, 25-18.
Set Four: Carla Cauchi and
Abbey Kleist were stalwart defensively for the Rams in set four but the game went back and forth. Attack errors by TMU helped CIU build an 11-10 advantage but the lead was erased quickly by the Bears after setter Abby Maxwell set up TMU's Ravania Neal for several kills. CIU would succumb to the Bears attack and TMU would tie the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 set win.
Set Five. The Rams struggled early in the deciding set, giving up a 7-3 lead. However,
Megan Lung put the fight back in CIU, pushing the Rams to just a 14-11 deficit after a kill. The Rams seemed poised for the comeback after an error by TMU and a kill by
Camri Goodwin. But the match would slip through their fingers after an error and CIU dropped the final set 15-13
Game Notes:
- CIU saw contributions from their freshmen tonight as Abbey Kleist had 5 kills and 3 blocks, Kamelia De Jesus had 2 aces and 11 assists, and Shaniece Steer contributed 12 kills and 13 digs.
- The Rams turned to Megan Lung throughout the evening as the Rams middle hitter collected 19 kills.
- Junior setter Mackenzie Sanchez picked up where she left from the 2019 season, recording 29 assists while De'Asija Harden and Gabriela Vega formed a formidable front line, each picking up 2 blocks.
- The Rams had 7 aces and 10 blocks as a team.
What Coach Haver is saying:
"A 15-13 loss in the fifth set is always tough. We made too many unforced errors early on, which made it difficult to stay up mentally. Proud of the effort tonight, coming back from a 5 point deficit in a 15 point game. Freshman
Shaniece Steer stepped up and had a solid match. She exhibited poise and coachability, which really made her an asset. Sophomore
Megan Lung continued to show versatility throughout the match, playing multiple positions for us. We have some kinks to work out, but I am excited to get back in the gym and make some corrections."
Up Next:
The Rams will look to bounce back Saturday at 12:30 PM versus Point University at the Moore Fitness Center.
