WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Day two of the Chick-Fil-A Classic hosted by Keiser University saw CIU volleyball take on two more difficult opponents on Friday. The Rams battled (RV) Dakota State (S.D.) in the early portion of the day and then took on No. 18 College of St. Mary (Neb.) in the evening to finish off their time in the Sunshine State. CIU would drop both matches, wrapping up their first week of the regular season.  

MATCH ONE: (RV) Dakota State 3 CIU 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19): It was a hard-fought set one with CIU coming up just short before yielding in the final two sets to give up their first sweep of the season. Jadaeya Morrel was solid for CIU with six kills and .308 hitting percentage. Kira Rymer led the Rams in kills with eight, while freshman Katie Nichols contributed five kills of her own. Kamelia De Jesus led in both assists (24) and digs (16) while Kelecy Mangum added 13 digs to the Ram defensive effort. 

MATCH TWO: No. 18 College of St. Mary 3 CIU 1: (26-24, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15): The Rams put up a fight in set one and would even steal set three from the No. 18 team in the country. Ultimately CIU fell to the Gaels but held their own against their second ranked opponent in as many days. Alana Sanjurjo was a force with 15 kills, while Kira Rymer added 14 kills of her own. Hadassah Davis proved she belonged on the collegiate level with a season-high ten kills. Kamelia De Jesus also recorded a season-high picking up 35 assists, while Kelcy Mangum led CIU in digs with 18. 

What Coach Amber Haver is saying: "What a great couple days of competition. We learned a ton and got significantly better as a program. We were the only team to beat Hastings, who beat  a ranked team in four.  We took a set off of two different ranked teams. Seven of our newcomers, including 6 freshmen got their feet wet and saw some significant minutes. That's a great start to season five.  We are encouraged by what we saw this weekend at a very tough Invitational. Excited to see what we can do next weekend at the next one."

Up Next: The Rams will head to Marietta, Ga. for the Life University Running Eagles Classic, where they will play Xavier (La.) and Ave Maria (Fla.) on Friday, Aug. 26.