PIKEVILLE, Ky. — CIU women's volleyball saw its nine-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday morning, falling to Pikeville University (19-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-22) in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. The loss marks the Rams' first-ever defeat to Pikeville.

CIU (14-6, 10-2 AAC) opened strong, hitting .318 in the first set and taking an early 1-0 lead before Pikeville (12-11, 9-3 AAC) stormed back to win the next three sets. The Rams hit .138 for the match, while Pikeville posted a .204 hitting percentage and finished with 10 service aces.

Mary Norwood and Zcearia James led the CIU attack with 11 kills each, while Lydia Gustafson added eight kills on a .316 hitting percentage. Eevy Bellar contributed six kills and a team-high five block assists. Setter Macy Brooks paced the offense with 25 assists, and libero Kelcey Mangum anchored the defense with 28 digs.

Despite out-digging Pikeville 83-96, CIU was unable to regain momentum after the opening set.

The Rams will look to bounce back at home on Tuesday, Oct. 21, when they host Montreat College at 6:30 p.m. ET inside the Moore Fitness Center.