KINGSPORT, Tenn. - The CIU women's volleyball team became the first team in CIU athletics history to reach an Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament (AAC) championship on Friday but would come up just short to the No. 1 seed Bryan College (Tenn.). The Rams fell 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 14-25. 17-25) to the Lions but would secure a spot in the upcoming NAIA National Women's Volleyball Tournament by virtue of just reaching the AAC Tournament finals. 

CIU came out the gate looking unbeatable, taking an early set one advantage. Set two was back-and-forth but would turn out costly for the Rams as they couldn't quite edge the Lions. The experience of Bryan appeared to take over in the final two sets as the Lions got the best of a young CIU squad to seize the AAC Tournament crown. The Rams had one of their lowest hitting percentages of the season at .085 for the match, but freshman Cintia Lorena stepped up big for CIU with 15 kills on the evening. Setter Kamelia De Jesus had 33 assists and 17 digs for a double-double. Still, it was truly Karla Rodriguez who shined defensively for CIU with 22 digs as the libero was all over the floor, keeping plays alive for the Rams. Ingrid Ferrari and Alana Sanjurjo both earned All-Tournament team honors as Ferrari had nine kills in the final match and Sanjurjo had 13 digs.

What Coach Haver:
"Tough loss today. All credit goes to Bryan for a well deserved win. We failed to play disciplined volleyball for three straight sets and it proved costly. We will learn from this and bounce back."

Up Next:

CIU will await their fate as the NAIA national tournament bracket will be released Monday, Nov. 15 at 11 AM EST. Fans can watch a special edition of the NAIA women's volleyball selection show on CIU athletic's Youtube channel (CIU Sports Network).