MONTGOMERY, Ala.- CIU volleyball continued what has been a superb start to the 2023 season on Friday, moving to 6-0 on the season, dispatching both Point (Ga.) and William Carey (Miss.) in three sets. The Rams took part in the opening day of the Faulkner Invitational in Montgomery, Alabama, where they faced Point in their first match of the day. The competition signaled the first time the Rams and Skyhawks have faced off since Point departed from the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) this past summer. The Rams match versus William Carey was the first match between the two squads in CIU's six-year program history.
MATCH ONE: CIU 3 POINT 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-13): Facing a familiar foe in the Skyhawks, the Rams enforced their will over their opponent for most of the first two sets. Point appeared to have life breathed back into them in the third set as they led CIU 18-15. The Rams clawed back to tie the set at 22-22 when kills from Hanah Weiss and Alana Sanjurjo dashed the Skyhawks' hopes of avoiding a sweep. CIU walked away with a third-set victory of 25-13.
Sanjurjo (14 kills) and Weiss (10 kills) each posted double-digit kills, as Weiss' consistent attack resulted in a .500 hitting percentage. The pair were the primary recipients of Melissa Campos Soto's 36 assists as the setter recorded a double-double, adding 12 digs.
CIU's defensive effort was highlighted by a season-high 16 block assists as Gabriela Vega and Gracen Norris each contributed four BA's to the Rams total.
MATCH TWO: CIU 3 WCU 0 (25-21, 25-9, 25-13): After a competitive first set, the Rams played two dominant sets of volleyball, holding a team to single digits for the first time in a set this season. The Rams smothered William Carey defensively, keeping WCU to a .113 hitting percentage for the match.
Hadassah Davis secured her first double-digit kill match of the young season with ten, while Sanjurjo and Norris had eight and nine kills, respectively.
Lydia Gustafson and Kelcey Mangum anchored the Rams' defense, with Gustafson tallying three blocks and Mangum hauling in 18 digs.
Campos Soto gave the WCU front-line fits all evening as the setter recorded five kills to go along with a career-high 38 assists and ten digs.
CIU kept an accurate attack for the majority of the three sets with a .396 hitting percentage as a team.
What Head Coach Katie Weiss saying:
"Happy to not give up a set on the first day of this weekend's tournament. Both matches' were team wins, especially in the second match, where nearly everyone who saw the floor made a contribution. Looking forward to getting better and adding to these wins on day two."
Up next: The second day of the Faulkner Invitational will feature CIU matchups with Ave Maria (Fla.) at 11 a.m. CT and Faulkner (Ala.) at 1 p.m. CT.
