BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — CIU women's volleyball continued its surge through Appalachian Athletic Conference play Saturday morning, sweeping Union Commonwealth University 25-14, 25-13, 25-21 to secure its fifth consecutive conference victory.
The Rams improved to 9-10 overall and 5-2 in AAC play with the win, completing a successful road weekend after defeating Johnson University in four sets Friday night in Knoxville.
CIU controlled the match from the start, hitting .312 in the opening set while holding Union Commonwealth to a -.094 hitting percentage. The Rams were even better offensively in the second, putting down 17 kills with just two errors on 40 attempts to hit .375 en route to a commanding 25-13 victory.
Union Commonwealth provided its strongest challenge in the third, but CIU closed out the sweep with a 25-21 win. The Rams finished the morning with 42 kills and only seven attack errors, hitting .307 for the match while limiting the Bulldogs to a .032 hitting percentage.
Mary Norwood led the CIU offense with 14 kills while hitting .333. Katelynn Mundy was nearly flawless, putting down 12 kills without an attack error on 23 attempts for a .522 hitting percentage. Zcearia James added eight kills and 10 digs, while Ava Koselke recorded four kills and hit .375.
Macy Brooks directed the Rams' attack with 37 assists while adding four digs, a solo block and three block assists. Ashley Burgbacher anchored the back row with 17 digs, while Ashlee Gomes added 11 digs and two service aces.
CIU also controlled play at the net, finishing with four solo blocks and 12 block assists. Eevy Bellar recorded two solo blocks, while Koselke added a solo block and three block assists.
The Rams return home Tuesday, Sept. 29, looking to extend their five-match AAC winning streak when they host Montreat College at 6:30 p.m. inside the Moore Fitness Center.
