AKRON, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team improved its record to 4-1 on the young season Tuesday evening, picking up a 3-1 victory at Akron behind a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive effort.
The Scores
25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 25-17
Match Stats
- The trio of Christina Toth (16 kills), Grace Kauth (11) and Alexis Middlebrooks (10) once again led the Viking offense.
- Sydney Mast tallied a career-high nine kills on a career-best .583 hitting percentage (9-2-12).
- Gina Kilner recorded 44 assists on Cleveland State's 58 kills.
- Dayna Roberts and Grace Kauth both notched 10 digs against Akron – Kauth posting her third double-double of the season.
- Alexis Middlebrooks recorded a team-high five blocks, while Aaliyah Slappy and Gina Kilner each tallied four.
Match Notes
- With her 10 digs against the Zips, Dayna Roberts eclipsed the 800 dig mark for her career, finishing the match with 808 digs.
- CSU posted a .320 hitting percentage for the match, including a .481 clip in the fourth set.
- Grace Kauth and Christina Toth have now posted double-digit kills in every match this season.
The Match
The Vikings were able to quickly get out to a 1-0 match lead, after picking up a 25-12 victory in the first set. Cleveland State opened the frame with a 9-1 run, and then controlled play for the remainder of the set. The Vikings were able to hold a 17-9 advantage before the Zips notched double-digit points, and then closed out the frame outscoring Akron 8-2.
After the Zips evened the match with a 25-18 win in set two, Cleveland State responded by earning a 25-23 victory in the third frame to gain the 2-1 match advantage. During the first part of the set both teams traded points, until CSU was finally able to tally five straight points, gaining a 16-12 lead on a Gina Kilner kill. The Vikings controlled play over the next few points then, before Akron came within just one point at the 21-20 mark before a Sydney Mast kill gave the momentum back to the Vikings. CSU was then able to close out the frame, with the final point coming on a Grace Kauth kill.
The Vikings carried their momentum into the fourth set then, earning a commanding 25-17 victory for the 3-1 win over the Zips.
Next Up
- Cleveland State vs. Central Michigan – Fri., Sept. 4 – 7 p.m. – CSU Invitational
- Cleveland State vs. Binghamton – Sat., Sept. 5 – 12:30 p.m. – CSU Invitational
- Cleveland State vs. Cincinnati – Sat., Sept. 5 – 7 p.m. – CSU Invitational
