EUGENE, Ore. — (RV) CIU women's volleyball concluded its trip to Oregon on Saturday with two more tests against quality competition, pushing No. 19 Bushnell to five sets before falling to a red-hot Taylor squad to close out the Hampton Inn Classic.
The Rams opened the day against Bushnell and responded strongly after dropping the first set 25-16. CIU evened the match with a 26-24 victory in the second before taking control with a 25-20 win in the third. The Beacons answered in a tightly contested fourth set, edging the Rams 26-24 to force a decisive fifth. Bushnell ultimately prevailed 15-11 to escape with the five-set victory.
CIU turned in one of its best offensive performances of the young season in the loss, finishing with 56 kills and a .270 hitting percentage. The Rams hit .375 in the third set and an impressive .421 in the fifth.
Zcearia James led the Rams with a season-high 19 kills while hitting .318 and adding four block assists.
Mary Norwood followed with 14 kills and just two errors on 33 attempts to hit .364, while freshman
Sarah Lancaster continued to make an impact with 11 kills and only one error on 28 swings for a .357 hitting percentage.
Macy Brooks directed the CIU offense with 30 assists and added nine digs, while
Maria Ferreira handed out 17 assists and recorded three service aces.
Rilee Sturkie led the defensive effort with 23 digs. The Rams also recorded 12 block assists, with James and
Ava Koselke contributing four apiece.
CIU closed the weekend against a Taylor team that entered the match as one of the hottest squads in the NAIA after already defeating three Top 25 opponents this season. The Trojans carried that momentum into Saturday's match, defeating the Rams 25-18, 25-16, 25-15.
Norwood capped a strong weekend by leading CIU with 10 kills on 23 attempts and a .348 hitting percentage.
Eevy Bellar added four kills on eight attempts and hit .375, while James finished with four kills. Ferreira handed out 14 assists, Brooks added nine and Sturkie paced the Rams with 12 digs.
The Rams (2-7) leave Oregon having faced three nationally ranked opponents in No. 6 Corban, No. 22 Southern Oregon and No. 19 Bushnell, along with a Taylor team that has already proven capable of knocking off some of the nation's best.
CIU returns to action Sept. 4 when the Rams face Carolina University (N.C.) to open the Cumberlands Quad-Match in Williamsburg, Ky.
