MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Cleveland State volleyball team continued opening weekend play of the 2015 season Saturday, as the Vikings split their final two matches at the Blue Raider Bash. Cleveland State defeated Notre Dame, 3-2 to open the day, and then fell by a matching 3-2 score to Bowling Green in the night cap. The Vikings finished the Blue Raider Bash with a 3-1 record – the best record out of all five tournament field teams.
After leading the Vikings to the Blue Raider Bash Tournament Title, Alexis Middlebrooks was named the Tournament MVP, while Grace Kauth also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Middlebrooks posted a team-best 23 blocks on the weekend, including nine against Indiana, along with 43 kills on a .344 hitting percentage.
Kauth notched a team-high 62 kills throughout the tournament (3.44 kills per set), including a career-high 26 against Notre Dame. She also notched 42 digs (2.33 digs per set) and six blocks.
CLEVELAND STATE VS. NOTRE DAME
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The Vikings picked up their second straight five-set victory in their first match of the final day of the Blue Raider Bash, topping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3-2, improving to 3-0 on the season.
The Scores
25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13
Match Stats
- Grace Kauth tallied the season's first double-double, posting 26 kills and 16 digs – both match-highs
- Christina Toth (14) and Alexis Middlebrooks (10) also tallied double-digit kills
- Gina Kilner recorded 44 assists on 60 Cleveland State kills
- Alexis Middlebrooks notched a team-high four blocks, while Aaliyah Slappy, Gina Kilner, and Christina Toth each added three blocks
Match Notes
- This is the fifth time under head coach Chuck Voss that the Vikings have started the season 3-0
- Kauth's 26 kills marked a career-high and just the second 20-kill match of her career
- Mariah Carrero-Johnson made her collegiate debut against Notre Dame, recording a kill against the Fighting Irish
The Match
For the third straight match the Vikings were able to pick up a quick first set victory, notching a 25-18 win over Notre Dame in the first frame. After a back-and-forth beginning to the set, the Vikings were able to distance themselves following a 4-1 run that gave CSU a 20-15 advantage following three straight Kauth kills. Cleveland State was then able to close out the frame picking up five of the last eight points, including three off of Fighting Irish errors.
Notre Dame responded by picking up wins in the second and third sets to gain the 2-1 match advantage, but the Vikings stormed back to pick up wins in the fourth and fifth frames to clinch the match.
During the fourth set the Vikings had to play from behind until the 19-18 mark when CSU gained its first advantage of the frame following a Toth kill and Notre Dame error. The two teams then traded points until CSU was able to gain a three-point advantage at 23-20 on a Kauth kill, and the Vikings were then able to close out the frame on back-to-back kills from Middlebrooks and Toth.
The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout a tight fifth set, with both teams trading points until the Vikings put the set and the match away with back-to-back blocks from Kilner and Middlebrooks and Toth and Middlebrooks – two of a combined seven blocks that the Vikings posted for the match.
CLEVELAND STATE VS. BOWLING GREEN
Box Score | PDF Box Score
The Vikings were dealt their first loss of the 2015 season Saturday evening, falling to Bowling Green in a five-set thriller. The match marked the third straight five-set contest for the Vikings and gave Cleveland State a 3-1 record on the first weekend of play.
The Scores
26-28, 25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 15-11
Match Stats
- For the second straight match the trio of Christina Toth (17 kills), Grace Kauth (14), and Alexis Middlebrooks (12) led the Viking offense
- Dayna Roberts tallied a season-high 18 digs as Cleveland State's libero
- Grace Kauth notched her second straight double-double, also recording 12 digs
- Alexis Middlebrooks and Christina Toth both posted six blocks
Match Notes
- Grace Kauth and Christina Toth recorded double-digit kills in all four matches at the Blue Raider Bash
- Kassidy Stilwell and Elizabeth Murphy (1 kill) made their collegiate debuts against Bowling Green
The Match
After the two teams were tied at a set a piece after the first two frames, Cleveland State was able to gain a 2-1 advantage after picking up a 25-20 victory in the third set. The Vikings were finally able to pull away from the Falcons at the 19-13 mark of the third frame, following an 8-1 run that included three Toth kills. CSU was able to control play for the remainder of the set then, and closed out the frame with a Toth and Aaliyah Slappy block.
Despite holding the 2-1 advantage, the Vikings were not able to close out the match, as the Falcons battled back to take the final two sets to clinch the match.
Up Next
- Cleveland State @ Akron – Tuesday, September 1 – 7:00 p.m.
