CHICAGO, Ill. – The Cleveland State volleyball team continued Horizon League play Friday evening, capturing a 3-1 victory at UIC. With the win, the Vikings now stand at 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Set scores against UIC were 25-21, 25-9, 19-25, 25-19.
The Vikings once again had a strong blocking performance, as they posted 13 total team blocks against the Flames. Maggie Hannon recorded six block assists and four solo blocks on the night, tying her career-high with 10 total blocks. Christina Toth and Aaliyah Slappy each posted four blocks for the Vikings, while Alexis Middlebrooks tallied two and Grace Kauth added one.
Kauth and Slappy led the Viking offense against UIC, Kauth with a team-high 14 kills and Slappy with a career-best 10 kills on a career-high .562 attack percentage (10-1-16). Gina Kilner recorded 21 assists on the match, while Dayna Roberts added 19 helpers. Kauth and Ally Beck led the defensive efforts, combining for 23 of Cleveland State's 42 digs.
During the opening set, Cleveland State came back from a four-point deficit at the 15-11 mark to tie the frame at 15-15 after a 4-0 run. During this stretch, CSU got points from Slappy and Kauth kills, a Beck service ace and a block from Slappy and Hannon. The two teams traded leads four times over the next eight points, before the Vikings were finally able to distance themselves with back-to-back points from a Beck kill and a Hannon block to put the score at 21-19. CSU then closed out the match on a 4-2 run, including back-to-back points on a UIC error and Kauth kill, to claim the 25-21 victory.
The Vikings then cruised to a 25-9 victory during set two, before UIC claimed a 25-19 victory during the third frame. Entering the fourth set, CSU held a 2-1 advantage, and clinched the match with a 25-19 win during the final frame.
During the fourth set the two teams were evenly matched for the majority of the frame, until the Vikings were able to post back-to-back points on a Toth kill and a Hannon block to gain a two-point advantage at 19-17. Cleveland State then held the lead for the remainder of the frame, closing out the set and the match on a 5-0 run that included kills from Slappy and Kauth.
The Vikings will continue Horizon League play on the road tomorrow (Saturday, October 4), facing Valparaiso at 5:00 p.m. EST.
