BOONE, N.C. – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened the 2014 season Friday evening at the Appalachian Invitational, falling to the host Mountaineers, 3-0. Friday's match was the first of three for the Vikings at the two-day invitational, as CSU will face Tennessee and Tennessee Tech tomorrow.
Set scores against ASU were 22-25, 12-25, 27-29.
Sophomore Grace Kauth led the Viking offense with 10 kills, while Maggie Hannon and Christina Toth each tallied seven kills. Dayna Roberts posted 18 assists as the primary setter, while Gina Kilner recorded nine assists in her first collegiate contest.
Ally Beck recorded a team-high nine digs with Nikki Holmes posting seven and Toth and Kilner each adding two blocks each.
After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings were able to hang tough during the third frame, giving the Mountaineers all they could handle. Midway through the third set CSU trailed 18-13, but a 7-2 run spurred by a pair of Sydney Mast kills put the score at 20-20. The two teams stayed within two points of each other throughout the remainder of the frame, and CSU was able to gain two set-points, but weren't able to capitalize on either opportunity.
The Vikings will look to get in the win column tomorrow morning, as they continue the Appalachian Invitational against Tennessee at 10:00 a.m. CSU will then close out the weekend with a 4:00 p.m. contest against Tennessee Tech.
