CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team won its 2014 home opener Tuesday evening, defeating the Akron Zips, 3-0. The Vikings now stand at 2-2 early on in the season, and will continue play this weekend at the Penn Tournament.
Set scores against the Zips were 25-21, 25-22, 25-17.
Grace Kauth and Christina Toth led the Viking offense Tuesday evening, Kauth with 11 kills and Toth with 10 kills. Nikki Holmes had a team-high 15 digs, while Aaliyah Slappy recorded four blocks against the Zips.
The two teams battled back and forth during the opening set until the final points, when Cleveland State was able to gain a four-point advantage at the 23-19 mark. After the two teams were knotted at 19-19, the Vikings went on a four-point run – including two kills from Maggie Hannon – to gain the advantage and were able to hold on and close out the frame.
The second set was much of the same, as the two teams were evenly matched until CSU gained a six-point lead at the 20-14 mark. CSU's lead wouldn't last for long though, as the Zips battled back to within two points at the 23-21 mark, before the Vikings were able to close out the frame on an Akron error and an Ally Beck kill.
The Vikings were then able to dominate the third and final set, cruising to the straight-set victory against the Zips.
Next up, the Vikings will face Georgetown at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 5 in their opening match of the Penn Tournament.
