WALESKA, Ga. - CIU women's volleyball dropped just their second Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) of Coach Katie Weiss' tenure on Saturday as the Rams fell in a five-set thriller versus Reinhardt (24-26, 16-25, 25-23, 25-13, 6-15). The loss came in a battle of undefeated conference foes as both CIU and the Eagles (13-4, 10-0 AAC) entered the match unblemished in AAC action. After the loss, CIU moves to 20-1 overall and 10-1 in the AAC.

Set one set an ominous tone for the match as the Rams led 22-19 but would ultimately fall 26-24. However, facing a two-set deficit, CIU responded to win sets three and four before a challenging set five that saw the Rams ultimately drop their first conference match of 2024.

Middle blocker Lydia Gustafson's impressive 14 total blocks (one solo, 13 assists) were the most notable stat of the day. Gustafson ties former player and current graduate assistant coach Ingrid Ferrari's single-match block record with her performance. The Rams had 17 total blocks on the afternoon. Double-digit kills came from Hadassah Davis (10) and Hanah Weiss (12), while double-digit assists came courtesy of Kamelia De Jesus (16) and Melissa Campos Sotos (19). In addition, Campos Soto was one of four players in double-digit digs with 12. Kelcey Mangum led the backline with a season-high 34 digs, along with three aces and four digs.

Up Next: CIU continues its Georgia road trip, heading to Brenau University for a midweek matchup on Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. EST.