WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - CIU volleyball opened the highly anticipated 2022 season on Thursday at the Chick-Fil-A Classic, hosted by Keiser University. The Rams played three matches on the first day of the classic, starting the day off with a win over Hastings (Neb.) before dropping their two matches against No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) and host school Keiser (Fla.) in the latter portion of the day.
MATCH ONE: CIU 3 Hastings 1 (26-24, 25-14, 17-25, 25-16): A hard-fought first set saw the Rams and Broncos knotted at 24-24 before Kira Rymer would break the tie with back-to-back kills to give CIU the set one win. The Rams dominated set two before dropping the third game to the Broncos. Coach Amber Haver's squad bounced back, however, for an impressive nine-point set four victory. The Rams' veteran attackers shined as Kira Rymer, Alana Sanjurjo, and Mardi Scutchings all recorded double-digit kills, with Rymer leading the way with 13 kills and a .464 hitting percentage. Setter Kamelia De Jesus notched 27 assists while her junior counterpart Melissa Campos Soto recorded 19 assists. Defensively, Abbey Kleist stood tall at the net with three blocks, while newcomer Kelecy Mangum led the way with 18 digs.
MATCH TWO: No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan 3 CIU 1 (26-24, 17-25, 15-25, 17-25): Back-to-back kills from Mardi Scutching gave CIU the set one win, but it would be all Tigers as DWU took the next three sets. Once again, Kira Rymer led the way with 12 kills and to go along with three blocks. Senior Jadeaya Morrel had her CIU career high in kills with ten as she recorded a .444 hitting percentage and four blocks. Kamelia De Jesus added 29 assists to their growing season total, while freshmen libero Kelcey Mangum tallied 28 digs.
MATCH THREE: Keiser 3 CIU 2 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 13-15): CIU appeared to be approaching their first sweep of the season before the Seahawks clawed their way out of 2-0 deficit. The Rams battled in the final set but ultimately dropped the day's final match. Despite the loss, Kira Rymer is already proving to be a force to be reckoned with as she recorded a career-high 21 kills. Kamelia De Jesus also impressed with a double-double of 30 assists and 28 digs. The Rams were stalwart defensively with 18 block assists and one solo block.
What Coach Amber Haver is saying: "It was a good day of very competitive volleyball. This invitational always has tough competition. That's why we are here. Winning our first match of the season, starting several freshmen… that's a great start. Especially against such a historically amazing team like Hastings. Taking a set from Dakota Wesleyan, who's the No. 15 team in the country, also pretty special. Getting reverse swept by Keiser, and losing by two in set five… we ran out of steam. They're such a solid team. I'm confident that this tough competition makes us better. Obviously, it would have been nice to come away with three wins today, but considering this team has only had six days of practice together-I'm very pleased with what I saw today. I feel certain the best is yet to come."
Up Next: CIU will be back in action on Friday at The Chick-Fil-A Classic as they take on (RV) Dakota State (S.D.) at 12 PM and the College of St. Mary (Neb.) at 6 PM.
