COLUMBIA, S.C - CIU volleyball now has a stranglehold on the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) after their first win in program history over Bryan College (Tenn.). It took five sets for CIU to get the 3-2 (25-22, 25-10, 20-25, 22-25, 15-5) win over the Lions, as the Rams now sit atop the conference standings. The win is the first conference loss of the season for Bryan as they hold a 21-3 overall record and are now 15-1 in the AAC, while CIU moves to 23-7 overall and 14-1 in the conference.

After two dominant sets from CIU and then a robust response from Bryan, the Rams found themselves tied 2-2 heading into set five. CIU would then turn up the heat recording ten kills in the final set to dispatch Bryan 15-5. 

Offensive success was certainly important for CIU as they had three players with double-digit kills, Kira Rymer (19), Abbey Kleist (13), and Alana Sanjurjo (11). The Rams were not error-free but still managed to record a .200 hitting percentage verse an excellent defensive team in Bryan. Serving was a driver for the Rams' successes with CIU tallying 11 aces as a team led by Kamelia De Jesus with four. De Jesus was everywhere for CIU on Saturday afternoon, with 40 assists and 15 digs. The Rams were led in digs by Kelcey Mangum with 32, while Sanjurjo was on the ground quite a bit for the Rams with 21 digs of her own. Elsewhere defensively, Rymer stepped at the net for CIU to notch three blocks while Jadaeya Morrell and Lydia Gustafson each had four as the Rams totaled nine blocks as a team. 

Hear from Coach Amber Haver postgame:

Up Next: CIU is at Columbia College (S.C) on Tuesday evening for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.