FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.- CIU volleyball opened the spring portion of the schedule on Tuesday as they gear up for the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC)Tournament later this month. The Rams took on #22 Keiser University (31-0) in a doubleheader on the Seahawks home court. Keiser proved to be a difficult opponent for CIU as the Rams dropped both matches 3-0 and move to 13-10 overall on the season.

Match One: KU 3 CIU 0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-20)

• Kira Rymer led the Ram's attack with eight kills in the match, while her fellow freshman Shaniece Steer had six.
• Freshman setter Kamelia De Jesus had 18 assists while Emilia Niedzielsk contributed to the Rams cause with two service aces.
• Abbey Kleist and Camri Goodwin made an impact defensively as they both assisted on two blocks, while Fabianne Besosa tallied 16 digs in her CIU debut.
• The Rams only trailed the Seahawks 18-19 in game three after a Shaniece Steer kill, but CIU would only put two more points on the board, falling 25-20 in the final set.

Match Two: KU 3 CIU 0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-9)

• Keiser has only lost seven sets all season long, and the Rams nearly handed them their eighth in set one of match two. Kamelia De Jesus recorded three service aces to give the Rams an early 10-4 lead. The Seahawks stormed back, but after an Abbey Kleist kill, CIU was one point away from the win leading 24-22. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Seahawks somehow managed to pull ahead to barely seize a 28-26 set win.
• CIU was again in striking distance in set two after a Gabriela Vega kill helped trim the deficit to 23-20. However, the Seahawks would again weasel their way out of CIU's grasp and claim the 25-20 victory.
• Abbey Kleist led CIU with nine kills, while Gabriela Vega was impressive with seven kills and a .375 hitting percentage.
• Kamelia De Jesus stuffed the stat sheet with 22 assists, nine digs, and a match-high three service aces.
• Camri Goodwin continued her defensive prowess picking up two solo blocks while Fabianne Besosa had 13 digs.

What Coach Amber Haver is saying:
"Keiser is a great team. Coach Rogers has built a strong program. They are always going to be a tough team to beat, especially on the road. We knew it would be a challenge facing them after a 3-month hiatus. We played too timid at the start but shook some of the rust off in the first match. I was happy to see us come out swinging in the second match.  However, too many unforced errors in the sets that followed. You can't do that against an undefeated team. We've got to play better volleyball with fewer mental errors if we want to beat ranked opponents.  Hopefully, we learned lessons tonight that will prepare us for the conference tournament."

Up Next:

CIU will stay in the sunshine state as the take on Webber International at 11 AM and Florida National at 1 PM tomorrow, March 10th. The matches will be played at Webber International, located in Babson Park, Florida.