BOONE, N.C. – The Cleveland State volleyball team split its matches on the final day of the Appalachian Invitational Saturday, defeating Tennessee Tech, 3-0 in the finale and falling to Tennessee, 3-1. The Vikings finished the two-day tournament with a 1-2 record.
Senior Ally Beck was named to the All-Tournament Team after her standout performance over the weekend, which included 41 digs and 16 kills. Beck ranked second on the team averaging 4.10 digs per set throughout the tournament, while she was one of five Vikings with at least 15 kills on the weekend.
Set scores against Tennessee Tech were 25-14, 25-16, 25-20.
Against the Golden Eagles, the Vikings relied heavily on their serving game, and recorded 13 service aces on the match – just the second time they have tallied double-digit aces over the past three seasons. Grace Kauth led the Vikings with a career-high five aces, while Gina Kilner added three, Shannon Grega and Nikki Holmes each posted two, and Beck notched one.
Maggie Hannon was the lone Viking to post double-digit kills against Tennessee Tech, notching 11 kills on a team-high .474 hitting percentage (11-2-19). Defensively, Holmes had a match-high 22 digs, while Beck added 11, and Christina Toth and Alexis Middlebrooks each tallied two blocks.
The Vikings were easily able to control play throughout all three sets, and held Tennessee Tech to just 23 kills and a .084 hitting percentage.
The Vikings also faced Tennessee Saturday morning, falling to the Volunteers, 3-1.
Set scores against Tennessee were 15-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16.
Despite the loss against Tennessee, many Vikings still had great individual performances. Ally Beck led the Viking defense with 21 digs, just the second 20-dig match of her career, while Alexis Middlebrooks posted her first double-digit kill performance in a collegiate match with 10 kills on a team-best .438 hitting percentage (10-3-16).
Grace Kauth and Dayna Roberts tallied the season's first double-doubles, Kauth with 11 kills and 12 digs, and Roberts with 20 assists and 12 digs.
Next up, the Vikings will take a break from early-season tournament action on Tuesday (Sept. 2), when they host Akron in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Woodling Gymnasium.