BLUEFIELD, Va. - The Bluefield University volleyball team hosted a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference matches inside The Dome this past weekend, taking on Johnson (TN) Friday evening and Union Commonwealth Saturday morning. 
 

Game One: Johnson (TN) 3, Bluefield 1 (22–25, 25–17, 30–28, 25–22)
Bluefield opened strong, taking the first set 25–22 behind offensive power from Liangelys Santana and Chesed Russell. The Rams' defense, anchored by libero Eledy Torres, held off Johnson's late push to secure the early lead. Johnson regrouped to claim set two 25–17, and the third set became a back-and-forth battle. Bluefield fought through 10 ties and five lead changes, with Morgan Wigg and Rachel Sasson contributing at the net, but narrowly dropped the frame 30–28. The Royals carried momentum into the fourth and edged the Rams 25–22 to seal the match.

Santana paced the Rams with 20 kills and 21 digs for a double-double, while Russell added 12 kills on .242 hitting. Wigg chipped in nine kills and two solo blocks, and Sasson provided steady play at the net. Torres anchored the back row with a match-high 38 digs and seven assists, and Izabella Lechuga directed the attack with 17 assists and 11 digs.

Game Two: Union Commonwealth 3, Bluefield 2 (24–26, 25–13, 18–25, 25–23, 16–14)
The Rams returned Saturday morning for a five-set thriller with Union Commonwealth. Bluefield claimed the opening set 26–24 behind balanced offense from Santana and Wigg. After falling 25–13 in set two, the Rams bounced back with a dominant third frame, hitting .387 as Sasson and Russell powered the attack in a 25–18 win. The fourth was tight throughout with 11 ties, but Union edged the Rams 25–23. In the decisive fifth, Bluefield fought point-for-point, but the visitors slipped away with a narrow 16–14 win.

Wigg led the way with 12 kills on a stellar .391 hitting percentage, while Sasson matched her with 12 kills of her own. Santana added 12 kills and eight digs, and Russell reached double figures as well with 12 kills. Lechuga distributed the offense with a team-high 40 assists and 12 digs, while Torres once again led the defense with 17 digs and steady passing.

The Rams are back in action September 30 for an AAC road match at Milligan starting at 6:30 p.m.