BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Bluefield University men's volleyball team hosted a Saturday doubleheader inside the Dome Gymnasium, opening the day with a five-set victory over the University of Lynchburg before falling in four sets to the University of Rio Grande later in the evening.

Game One: Bluefield 3, Lynchburg 2 (26–28, 25–16, 32–30, 22–25, 15–13)
BU opened the day with a thrilling five-set win over Lynchburg in a back-and-forth battle that featured 40 tie scores and 14 lead changes. After narrowly dropping the opening set in extra points, the Rams responded with a dominant second frame, hitting .455 to even the match.

The third set turned into a marathon, with both teams trading points deep into extra rallies before Bluefield pulled out a 32–30 win to take a 2–1 lead. Lynchburg forced a fifth set with a 25–22 victory in the fourth, but the Rams held their composure in the decisive frame, closing out the match 15–13.

Kari Williams led all players with 23 kills, while Mason Lloyd added 15 kills and Kemani Riley chipped in eight on efficient hitting. Benedict Somes guided the offense with 46 assists, and the Rams finished with 10 service aces. Defensively, Cesar Bitanga recorded nine digs, while Williams and Lloyd combined for four block assists at the net.

Game Two: Rio Grande 3, Bluefield 1 (25–20, 25–22, 22–25, 25–20)
BU returned to the court in the evening against a strong Rio Grande squad. The Rams kept pace early but dropped the first two sets as the Red Storm capitalized on timely runs. Bluefield answered in the third, hitting .200 as a team and controlling the middle to take the set 25–22 and extend the match.

Rio Grande responded in the fourth, pulling away late to secure the 25–20 win and the match. Lloyd once again paced the Rams offensively with 12 kills, while Williams added nine and Mamadou Dieng contributed five on .300 hitting. Richard Cisneros recorded four kills and three block assists, and Somes dished out 31 assists. Bitanga and Jadyn McCrory anchored the back row with six and eight digs, respectively.

With the split, BU (1-3) moves forward into conference play. The Rams return to action Friday night, hosting Carolina University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup inside the Dome Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.