SPARTANBURG, S.C. — CIU volleyball bounced back in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play Tuesday night with a 3-1 victory (25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 25-8) over Spartanburg Methodist at Bridges Arena.

The Rams (6-5, 2-1 AAC) hit .270 as a team and controlled the match behind a balanced offensive effort. Zcearia James led CIU with 15 kills and two solo blocks, while Katelynn Mundy added 14 kills on a .321 hitting percentage. Mary Norwood chipped in 10 kills to go along with three blocks, and Lydia Gustafson also posted 10 kills while recording four blocks.

Eevy Bellar was a force at the net with six kills on a .417 clip and added four total blocks, including one solo. Setters Skylar Dewhirst and Macy Brooks evenly split duties with 25 assists apiece, while Brooks also tallied a service ace and five digs.

Defensively, libero Kelcey Mangum anchored the back row with 14 digs and added a service ace, while Lesiray Marrero Nazario contributed 12 digs. CIU as a team out-blocked SMC 14-4 and collected 54 digs on the night.

After dropping the second set, CIU regrouped to hit .250 in the third and an efficient .500 in the fourth to close out the match convincingly. 

The Rams will stay in the Midlands to face Columbia College (S.C.) on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET.