KINGSPORT - CIU volleyball added more lore to its already storied program history on Saturday evening, winning the 2024 WinWon Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament. CIU swept Johnson (Tenn.) earlier in the day in the conference semifinal and then was tested in a hard-fought four-set championship match with Reinhardt (Ga.) The title win gives CIU its third consecutive AAC Tournament championship. The Rams are the first team to three-peat in AAC volleyball since Reinhard completed the feat from 2018 through 2020.
SEMIFINAL: CIU 3 JU 0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15): The upstart Royals put up a fight early, leading for much of the first set. However, for the Ram faithful, the match was never in doubt as CIU cruised to the sweep. Hanah Weiss led the way for the Rams with 11 kills. Lydia Gustafson shined with eight kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Kamelia De Jesus (18 assists) and Melissa Campos Soto (17 assists) combined for 35 assists, while Kelcey Mangum led the way with 20 digs. Bellamy Fennell was critical to the Ram's success with three aces, while Gabriela Vega led the defense with five blocks.
CHAMPIONSHIP: CIU 3 RU 1 (25-27, 25-20, 25-23, 28-26): Saturday's championship match had the makings of an instant classic as each set was extremely hard fought. The Rams trailed 21-18 in the fourth but battled all the way back to tie the match at 24-24. Fittingly, Gustafson, who had a stellar tournament and breakout junior season, recorded the game-winning block to give CIU the 28-26 set victory and, in turn, the conference title.
Gustafson, Weiss, and Kelecy Mangum earned All-Tournament nods, with Mangum winning the tournament Most Valuable Player award. Weiss recorded 12 kills in the title match, while Gustafson had six kills and ten blocks. Mangum had 40 digs in the contest in arguably the most impressive postseason showing in program history out of a CIU libero.
The Rams were bolstered by Katie Camp and Hadassah Davis, who each had ten kills. De Jesus recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 16 digs, while Campos Soto racked up 21 assists of her own. CIU had a postseason record of 18 total blocks, with Camp and Gabriela Vega chalking up six and seven, respectively.
What Coach Katie Weiss is saying: "I could not be more proud of this team. AAC Regular-Season Champions and AAC Tournament Champions are a big deal, and it's not easy to accomplish. This season took grit and resilience as we had to overcome several season-ending injuries and change our lineup over and over again. Our players faced so much adversity and yet never stopped pushing and fighting to be the best they could be. We are proud to be champions again this year!"
Up Next: The Rams will play in the NAIA Championship Opening Round next Saturday, Nov. 23. The NAIA Women's Volleyball Selection Show will take place on Monday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. CT.
