COLUMBIA - CIU volleyball opened Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play on Thursday evening and proved why they were picked as the number one team in the conference entering the 2023 season. The Rams drove just a few miles down Monticello Road to face Columbia College (S.C). 

CIU proved to be the dominant team from the outset, taking set one 25-6. The set is the first time the Rams have held a team to single digits so far this season. CIU would go on to stifle the Koalas 25-17 in set two and 25-9 in the third set. 

Head coach Katie Weiss has yet to lose a match in her short tenure with CIU, and she commented on her team's performance, saying, "We take every match seriously, so it was encouraging to see the girls focus in and get the win. We face a good team in Truett McConnell on Saturday, and I am looking forward to taking the momentum from this win into that match."

The CIU volleyball program's 9-0 start is the best by any CIU sports program since the CIU men's soccer program started the 2021 season 15-0. 

The Rams have held total dominance over Columbia College in the realm of collegiate volleyball as CIU is now 13-0 all-time versus the Koalas.

The Rams are back on the court on Saturday, Sept 9. where they will go head-to-head with AAC-foe Truett Mcconnell in Cleveland, Ga.