KINGSPORT, Tenn. - CIU women's volleyball opened postseason play on Thursday with an Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Point University (Ga.). CIU entered the contest as the No. 2 overall seed while Point came in as the No. 7 overall seed. The Rams had yet two lose a set to the Skyhawks in their two regular-season meetings, and nothing would change in their third meeting of the year. CIU picked up its first AAC Tournament win in program history, taking down Point 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-8).
The match was bookended by two impressive sets from CIU as Point tested the Rams in set two. CIU found themselves deadlocked with the Skyhawks at 20-20 in the second set, but a pair of kills from Alana Sanjurjo pushed the Rams past the Skyhawks for the set win. Sanjurjo had one of her best matches of the season with ten kills and a .368 hitting percentage. The Rams were led in kills and hitting percentage by fellow sophomore Kira Rymer, who recorded 12 kills and hit a .550 clip. Despite a quick 3-0 victory from CIU, AAC Setter of the Year Kamelia De Jesus still managed to tally 30 assists, eight digs, and three service aces. The Rams had nine services aces as a team, as defensive specialist Carla Cauchi also notched three aces herself. One of the best defensive teams in the NAIA during the regular season, the Rams kept up their defensive prowess in the postseason with three solo blocks and ten block assists. CIU held the Skyhawks to a dismal -.042 hitting percentage. '
What Coach Amber Haver is saying:
"Glad to be advancing to the semifinals. Proud of the effort today. Looking forward to tomorrow."
Up Next:
CIU will play the winner of Reinhardt (Ga.) and Union (Ky.) in the AAC semifinal tomorrow at 12:30 PM. If the Rams advance past the semifinal, they will compete in the tournament championship at 4:30 PM.
