BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - CIU volleyball continues to live up to its distinction as the only ranked team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) as No. 23 CIU passed their first conference road test of the season on Friday sweeping Union Commonwealth 25-15, 25-14, 25-16. The win is the Rams' sixth consecutive triumph over the Bulldogs as CIU now holds a season record of 14-1 and a conference mark of 4-0.

Melissa Campos Soto got the Rams' weekend off to a strong start, recording 19 assists. The Costa Rican national is now 147 assists away from 1,000 for her career. Fellow setter Kamelia De Jesus also chalked up double-digit assists with 15 to go along with six digs. Lydia Gustafson helped hold the Bulldogs to a .093 attack percentage, posting five blocks. Libero Kelcey Mangum did her part defensively with 19 digs.

Katie Camp added to what has been a stellar freshman season with 11 kills (.429) while Gustafson and Hadassah Davis each supplied nine kills.

CIU piled on eight service aces Friday night with five-year veteran Gabriela Vega handing out three to lead CIU.

What Coach Katie Weiss is saying: "Every road match in this conference is a challenge for many different reasons. We did what we needed to win tonight and are looking forward to finishing this road trip with a victory on Saturday."

Up Next: The Rams turn their attention to Johnson (Tenn.), with CIU meeting the Royals head-on on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Knoxville at 1:00 p.m. EST.