COLUMBIA - A sweep of Brenau University (Ga.) on Tuesday night put CIU volleyball in rare company as they moved to 22-0 overall (13-0 AAC) and now are tied for the most wins in the NAIA. The Rams are also one of only three undefeated teams in the country. CIU's win over the Golden Tigers (25-14, 25-17, 25-16) is the Rams twelfth Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) sweep this season. CIU holds a 12-0 record versus Brenau over the course of six seasons.
With the Rams controlling for most of the evening, senior Alana Sanjurjo stepped up offensively with ten kills and a more than stellar .556 hitting percentage to go along with six digs. Reigning AAC Attacker of the Week, Hanah Weiss stood out once again with nine kills, hitting .471. Veteran Abbey Kleist had one of her best matches of the season with seven kills after getting the set one start.
The Rams' defense again proved to be detrimental to their opponents' game plan as the squad chalked up seven solo blocks and eight blocks assists. Both Gabriela Vega and Lydia Gustafson were impressive, each collecting five total blocks.
Setter duo Kamelia De Jesus (18 assists) and Melissa Campos Soto (15 assists) produced 33 assists, while libero Kelcey Mangum led the Rams with 15 digs.
Five different CIU players recorded an ace on the evening as they currently sit sixth in the conference in aces per set at 1.66.
Hear from Alana Sanjurjo postgame:
Up Next: The Rams hit the road again as they travel to Athens, Tenn., to challenge Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m. EST.
