CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team finished the 2014 CSU Invitational with a pair of wins on Saturday, claiming the tournament title for the second straight year. Over the two-day tournament, the Vikings were led by tournament MVP Christina Toth and all-tournament honorees Maggie Hannon and Nikki Holmes.
On the final day, the Vikings picked up wins against Dayton (3-1) and Toledo (3-0).
Toth led the Vikings with 37 kills on the weekend, averaging 3.70 per set. She notched a career-high 18 kills against Dayton, and tallied 10 against Navy – her second and third double-digit kill matches of the season. Hannon recorded 29 kills on the weekend, posting a team-high .348 hitting percentage (29-5-69), and recorded 15 total blocks. Holmes led the Viking defense notching 56 digs, including a season-high 23 against Navy.
In the tournament finale, Maggie Hannon posted a team-high 10 kills, while Christina Toth added nine and Ally Beck added eight. Beck also had a team-best 16 digs against the Rockets, while Nikki Holmes added 15. Alexis Middlebrooks combined for a career-high eight blocks, marking her third match of the season with at least six blocks.
During the opening set the Vikings were able to control play from the beginning, gaining a six-point lead at the 18-12 mark and holding the advantage for the remainder of the frame. After holding at least a four-point lead for the rest of the set, the Vikings put the frame away with three straight points, including a Toth kill.
The Vikings then cruised to a 25-11 victory during the second set, and battled for a 28-26 victory during the third and final frame. Toledo was able to take control of the third set at the 15-11 mark, but the Vikings closed the gap with a 4-1 run, including a Toth kill and two Toledo errors. The two teams traded points over the next few plays, until Cleveland State was able to gain a set-point at the 25-24 mark on another Toth kill. It would take CSU a few extra points to get the win though, as they closed the frame on a Beck kill and a Beck service ace.
The Vikings opened play Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Dayton, behind a career-high 18 kills from Christina Toth and a season-high 14 kills from Maggie Hannon.
Set scores against Dayton were 26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23.
During the opening set the two teams were evenly matched, as neither team held more than a two-point advantage for the majority of the frame. After five tied scores in the final nine points, the Vikings finally recorded two straight points with a Dayton error and a Hannon kill to put the set away.
After dropping the second set, Cleveland State battled back and pulled out another close set, claiming a 25-23 victory during the third frame. The Vikings were able to gain control of the set at the 18-16 mark following an Alexis Middlebrooks kill and a Hannon service ace, but the Flyers responded over the next few points, regaining a two-point lead at 23-21. The Vikings then rallied to close out the set on a 4-0 run, earning the two-point victory on three Dayton errors and an Aaliyah Slappy kill.
The fourth set was much of the same, as the two teams traded points until the Vikings were able to gain a three-point lead at 19-16 after a Hannon kill. The Flyers once again rallied back to even the set at 20-20, but Hannon gave the advantage back to the Vikings with a kill and service ace on the next two plays. The two teams then traded points until Cleveland State closed out the frame, and the match with a Flyer error and a Toth kill.
Ally Beck had a team-high 10 digs against the Flyers, while Nikki Holmes added 18 and Grace Kauth added 16. Gina Kilner recorded a season-best 25 assists and Dayna Roberts tallied a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs.
The Vikings will close out the non-league portion of their schedule next weekend, traveling to Lawrence, Kansas for the Jayhawk Invitational. CSU will face Arkansas, North Texas, and Kansas over the two-day tournament.
2014 CSU Invitational All-Tournament Team
Christina Toth (MVP), Cleveland State
Maggie Hannon, Cleveland State
Nikki Holmes, Cleveland State
Amber Erhahon, Dayton
Janna Krafka, Dayton
Katie Sylakowski, Navy
Alyssa Ehrhardt, Toledo
2014 CSU Invitational Final Results
Cleveland State, 3-0
Dayton, 2-1
Navy, 1-2
Toledo, 0-3
