2016-17 CSU Athletics Top 10 Moments | #3 Volleyball Wins Horizon League Championship

The Cleveland State volleyball team continued its dominance of the Horizon League by winning its second straight tournament title in November. After going 14-2 in the League and claiming the top seed in the League tournament, the Vikings earned five set wins over Oakland and Green Bay to capture the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Junior Alexis Middlebrooks was named the tournament MVP for the second straight season after posting 35 kills and six blocks, while hitting .353 in the two tournament wins. She had 20 kills in the championship match vs. Green Bay. Juniors Gina Kilner and Shannon Grega joined Middlebrooks on the all-tournament team. Kilner led the Vikings to a .224 hitting percentage, dishing out 101 assists with 16 digs in the two matches, while Grega posted 17 digs in both the semifinal and championship matches. Senior Grace Kauth led the Vikings throughout the regular season en route to earning Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Middlebrooks and Kilner joined Kauth on the all-league first team, while Aaliyah Slappy was an honorable mention all-league. Sara Skeens was tabbed the Horizon League Co-Freshman of the Year. Chuck Voss was voted the Co-Coach of the Year. CSU fell to Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, the fourth time that the Vikings have earned an NCAA berth. The 2016 season marked the second straight year that the Vikings claimed the Horizon League regular season and tournament crowns. Over the last two years, CSU has combined to go 51-13 overall and 27-5 in Horizon League matches.