MISHAWAKA, Ind. — CIU women's volleyball battled through a pair of four- and five-set matches on Friday at the Michiana Mayhem Tournament, taking down (RV) Grace College in a five-set thriller before closing the day with a four-set win over Bethel University.

Match One: CIU vs. Grace College — CIU 3, Grace 2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-9)

In the opening match, CIU rallied from a two-set deficit to stun Grace. The Rams used a balanced attack led by Zcearia James, who posted 16 kills, while Mary Norwood and Eevy Bellar chipped in 11 and eight kills, respectively. Setter Skylar Dewhirst paced the offense with 31 assists and added two service aces. The Rams' defense also held firm, with libero Kelcey Mangum collecting a match-high 27 digs and Lydia Gustafson recording six blocks. 

After falling behind early, CIU turned the match in its favor with a decisive third set, holding Grace to a .000 hitting percentage. The Rams sealed the comeback in the fifth set behind efficient attacking and a impressive defensive effort. 

Match Two: CIU vs. Bethel University — CIU 3, Bethel 1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20)

CIU carried the momentum into the nightcap, defeating Bethel in four sets. James once again led the offense with 11 kills, while Norwood added 13 and Bellar contributed seven. Dewhirst dished out 22 assists, while Maria Ferreira tallied 12. Defensively, Mangum anchored the back row with 17 digs, and Bellar added 13.

At the net, the Rams frustrated Bethel with 14 block assists, highlighted by Bellar's four (seven total) and Lydia Gustafson's three. CIU limited the Pilots to a .061 hitting percentage in the match.

With the pair of wins, CIU is now on a three-match win streak. The Rams face No. 22 Marian (Ind.) at 11:15 a.m. ET tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 30, in a rematch of last year's NAIA opening round.