KINGSPORT - The No. 22 NAIA nationally-ranked CIU women's volleyball team started Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament play on Friday as the No. 1 overall seed and took care of business sweeping the No. 9 seed, Union College (Tenn.), by a score of 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-21). The win gives CIU their 33rd victory on the season, just one win away from tying the program record for wins in a season set in 2021. The Rams are now 33-7 overall and will have a chance to play in the AAC semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Union put up quite a fight and was not intimidated by the top-seeded Rams. However, after falling behind two sets, the Bulldogs were forced to put up a last-ditch effort in the third set. With the Rams trailing 20-19, CIU bounced back thanks to the offensive effort of
Jadaeya Morrell and
Hadassah Davis to pick the 25-21 win in the third set.
Abbey Kleist played an important role for CIU on the outside with nine kills and a solo block.
Kira Rymer impressed as usual from the other end of the net with 15 kills and a .464 hitting percentage.
Kamelia De Jesus racked up 40 assists and six aces, while freshman
Kelcey Mangum and Haddassah Davis were solid in their first collegiate postseason match with Mangum recording 12 digs and Davis collecting eight kills.
What Coach Amber Haver is saying: "Excellent volleyball today. Huge credit to Coach Wise and his team. They ran a tough offense. Both sides played competitive volleyball. Very proud of the work our girls put in today. We played disciplined volleyball for three straight sets. Our freshmen did an excellent job of managing their nerves. Our leaders did a fantastic job of running the court. Our bench was on fire. Overall, really happy with the volleyball played. Excited to get back on the court tomorrow for the semifinal matchup."
Up Next: The Rams will play the winner of No. 4 Reinhardt (Ga.) and No. 5 Milligan (Tenn.) on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 10 AM in the AAC semifinals
