COLUMBIA, S.C. — CIU women's volleyball opened Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play in strong fashion Friday night, sweeping Brenau 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 27-25) at the Moore Fitness Center.

The defending AAC champions (5-4, 1-0 AAC) relied on a balanced attack led by Zcearia James with 12 kills. Katelynn Mundy added nine, while Eevy Bellar tallied eight. Setter Skylar Dewhirst directed the offense with 35 assists and nine digs.

CIU controlled the first two sets with efficient hitting, posting a .444 attack percentage in the opener and a .302 clip in the second. The Rams also held a 9-1 advantage in team blocks, with Lydia Gustafson and James combining for multiple stuffs at the net.

Brenau (3-5, 0-1 AAC) pushed the Rams in a back-and-forth third set that featured 12 ties and seven lead changes. The Golden Tigers held set point at 24-23, but CIU rallied behind kills from Mundy and Dewhirst before closing the match on consecutive attack errors forced by the Rams' block.

Defensively, libero Kelcey Mangum anchored the back row with 19 digs, while Mary Norwood chipped in seven kills and steady play at the service line.

The Rams have a quick turnaround as they host Reinhardt University (Ga.), Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. ET.