DAYTON, Tenn. - Titans of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) women's volleyball clashed on Saturday as CIU (23-1, 14-1 AAC) met Bryan (Tenn.) on the Lions home court. In an incredibly hard-fought match, CIU was handed their first loss of the season (25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 24-26, 17-15), ending the Rams' longest win streak in program history. The Rams had won 23 straight games in 2023 and 23 straight AAC regular season matches dating back to 2022. The Rams' last regular season loss came on Oct. 8, 2023, 371 days ago. Up until this afternoon, the Rams had only lost one set through 14 conference matches. The win is Bryan's first over CIU since 2021. Last season, the Rams defeated the Lions in the regular season and the AAC tournament championship.

Saturday afternoon's match started with the Rams surprisingly dropping the first two sets. Bryan seemingly had control of the match, but the Rams pulled out two close wins in sets three and four thanks to a battering of attacks from Hanah Weiss and Alana Sanjurjo. The Rams nearly completed an improbable set five comeback, leading the Lions 13-10 in the final set. However, Bryan was resilient and ultimately would win the match on a serve thanks to a questionable service ace ruling in favor of the Lions.

Weiss led the Rams in kills once again, tying her season-high with 17. Two other Rams recorded double-digit kills as Kira Rymer Attaway chipped in 15 kills, and Sanjurjo added 13.

Sanjurjo recorded a double-double, picking up 26 digs, while Kelcey Mangum made an impact defensively with 27 digs.

Kamelia De Jesus tallied a season-high 31 assists, good for a double-double, as she also picked up 15 digs. 

Melissa Campos Soto finished with 19 assists, while Lexablel Rojas dug out 13 of the Lions' attacks. 

What Coach Katie Weiss is saying: "Winning every match during a long season is a difficult thing to do. Credit to Bryan for pulling out a gutsy win this afternoon. We will hopefully get another shot at them during the AAC tournament."

Up Next: The Rams will host Columbia College (S.C.) on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. EST.