COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU volleyball reach an impressive milestone on Friday night as they picked up their 25th win of the 2021 season. The victory was accentuated by the fact that the Rams got the better of one the best teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference as CIU defeated Bluefield University (Va.) 3-2 (25-14, 22-25, 25-16, 19-25, 15-7). The win puts CIU 25-7 overall and 16-2 in the AAC, keeping the Rams' solid hold at the top of the conference intact. 

It was a gritty performance by teams as CIU handily took care of the team from  Virginia in the first set. Bluefield responded, inching past CIU in set two and then again in set four. However, it was all CIU from the onset of the matches' final set as the Rams jumped all over Bluefield for the 15-7 fifth set win. CIU sophomore Kira Rymer continues to look like a seasoned veteran as the China Grove, N.C. native had season-high 20 kills with only three errors and a .447 hitting percentage. Rymer's 20 kills came by way of setter Keamlia De Jesus, who recorded her season-high in assists with 53. Abbey Kleist and Cintia Lorena each tallied double-digit kills as Lorena recorded 11 and Kleist contributed 10. Ingrid Ferrari once again wreaked havoc on the opponent's attack with five solo blocks. Ferrari leads the NAIA in blocks per set at 1.36. Karla Rodriguez also contributed defensively with 20 digs. The Rams offensive was spurned on by a more than serviceable evening serving as they notched 13 aces. De Jesus led the Rams with four aces, while Carla Cauchi added three to her team's total.

What Coach Haver is saying:
"Proud of a hard fought match against a really solid team. Bluefield has a couple really dominant hitters. We knew they were not going to make it easy for us. We had a solid game plan coming into it and we stuck to it for 3 of 5 sets. Glad to come away with the win tonight."

Up Next:
The Rams' have a quick turnaround as they face Kentucky Christian University at 11 AM in the Moore Fitness Center on Saturday.