WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- After a banner year in 2020, the CIU women's volleyball team picked up where they left off on the first play date of the 2021 season. The Rams headed to the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Volleyball Classic hosted by Keiser University for Aug. 12 and 13. Thursday saw the Rams drop match one of the day versus No. 24 Bethel (Ind.) but bounce back to pick up a win over No. 20 Keiser in match two. The win gives CIU their first win over a ranked opponent this season and their second win over a ranked opponent all-time. Last season the Rams defeated Reinhardt (Ga.), who would later go on to be ranked No. 25 in the first NAIA rankings of the 2020 season.
Match One: Bethel 3 CIU 0 (17-25, 18-25, 22-25): The Rams would stay with Bethel all three sets but would give the defending NCCAA National Champion Pilots a run for their money in the third set. Trailing 19-20, Alana Sanjurjo picked up a block to tie the game at 20-20. CIU fell behind 22-20 before a Kira Rymer kill brought CIU within one, 21-22. The Rams would only be able to muster one more point, however, as CIU fell 25-22.
Sophomores led the attack for CIU as Rymer picked up nine kills and Alana Sanjurjo notched eight. Sophomore setter Kamelia De Jesus led CIU in assists with 16, while freshman Lexabel Rojas added nine assists in her CIU debut. The Rams were solid defensively with 12 blocks as a team as Gabriela Vega picked up where she left off last season with three blocks while newcomer Cintia Lorena led the Rams with four.
Game Two: CIU 3 Keiser 1 (25-17, 28-26, 25-18, 25-23): The Rams pulled away late in set one of the match but set two was a different story. Trailing in set two 25-24, a clutch service ace from freshman Karla Rodriguez tied the game at 25-25 all. Moments later, another freshman would step up as Cintia Lorena picked up a kill to bring the score to 26-26. With Kamelia De Jesus serving, the Rams forced two attack errors to win set two 28-26. After dropping set three, the Rams would close out the match in set four as Gabriela Vega snagged the game-winning kill as the junior gave the Rams the 25-23 set win.
After a stale attack in match one of the day, CIU was much more potent in match two. Cintia Lorena was extremely impressive in just her second game as a Ram, as the Brazilian national recorded 16 kills to go along with a .314 hitting percentage. Kira Rymer was solid again as the 2020 South Region Player of the Year got going with 14 kills, while Gabriela Vega rounded out the Ram offense with seven kills. Defensively the Rams were a force to be reckoned with as they set the program record for blocks in a game with 22 block assists and five solo blocks. Ingrid Ferrari was tenacious with six block assists and three solo blocks, while Vega and Lorena each had five block assists and one solo block. Setters Kamelia De Jesus and Lexabel Rojas each notched 18 assists; it is the first time in program history two players have each had 15 or more assists in a match. The Rams had four players with double-digit digs as Karla Rodriguez led the way with 17.
What Coach Haver is saying:
"Glad to be back on the court. Had some issues in the first match against Bethel. Had to make some quick adjustments. Proud of our athletes for buying in early. Playing back to back matches doesn't allow for any time to regroup. The girls had to quickly refocus. We shook the rust off against Bethel and came out swinging against Keiser. Every aspect of our game improved from one set to the other. Everyone did their job and energy was great. Our bench culture was excellent. Proud of the hard work and discipline these athletes are showing me during preseason. Looking forward to tomorrow."
Up Next:
CIU will be back in action tomorrow Aug. 13 as they continue play in West Palm Beach. CIU takes on Goshen (Ind.) tomorrow at 8 AM and (RV) MidAmeica (Kas.) at 12 PM.
