West Palm Beach, Fla. - CIU women's volleyball opened the 2024 season on Thursday with two matches at the Viper Sports Academy Classic hosted by Keiser University (Fla.) on Thursday. CIU battled Indiana Tech of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) in match one and then took on reigning Mid-South Conference (MSC) champion Campbellsville (Ky.) in match two. The Rams won both matches, dropping just one set on the day to move to 2-0 on the young season.

Match One: CIU 3 Indiana Tech 0 (23-25, 25-10, 25-19, 25-22): After succumbing to a 25-23 loss in set one versus the Warriors a mixture of new and old faces would bring the Rams roaring back. Freshman Katie Camp would be more than impressive in helping CIU rattle off three straight set wins as the Palmetto state native racked up 11 kills and a block assist. Senior Hanah Weiss picked up where she left off last season as the veteran totaled 13 kills on 35 attempts. Hadassah Davis rounded out the Rams attack with nine kills in match one. CIU all-time assist leader Kamelia De Jesus notched 33 to aid the Rams offense to go along with two aces and 15 digs. Lesiray Nazario Marrero and libero Kelcey Mangum anchored the back line for CIU as Mangum recorded 28 digs and Nazario Marrero added 13. Freshman Bellamy Fennell made her mark in her first outing as a Ram with three service aces.

Match Two: CIU 3 CU 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-15): Despite several close moments in the first two sets, the Rams faced little resistance versus Campbellsville and would dominate set three 25-15. Weiss and Camp once again led the Ram's high-powered offensive as Camp recorded a notable 13 kills and two blocks while hitting .360. Weiss padded the box score with 14 kills of her own. Davis had a magnificent match in her own right, with a .455 attack percentage to go along with ten kills. De Jesus notched her second double-double of the day with 34 assists and 14 digs, while Mangum fulfilled her role as the linchpin of the Rams' defense with 23 digs.

What Coach Katie Weiss is saying: "Great start for the Rams. Incredible leadership from our returning players and inspiring play by freshmen Katie Camp and Bellamy Fennell. We played two great teams this morning, and we are looking forward to tomorrow."

Up Next: CIU will continue play at the Viper Sports Academy Classic, where they will face St Francis (Ind.) at 8 a.m. EST. and Missouri Baptist at 12 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 16. The Rams' bout with Missouri Baptist will be their first real test of the season as the Spartans are currently ranked as the No. 11 team in the NAIA.