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Volleyball Opens CSU Invitational With 3-1 Victory Over Central Michigan

Volleyball Opens CSU Invitational With 3-1 Victory Over Central Michigan
Posted: Sep 04, 2015

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team continued its winning ways Friday evening, picking up a 3-1 victory against Central Michigan in their home opener. Friday's contest was part of the CSU Invitational, which will continue with two matches for the Vikings tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 5).

Box Score | PDF Box Score | Tournament Central

The Scores
25-15, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23

Match Stats
- Christina Toth led the Viking offense with a career-high tying 18 kills.
- Rachel Stover set a personal-best with 11 kills on a .400 (11-3-20) hitting percentage.
- Alexis Middlebrooks (11) and Grace Kauth (12) also tallied double-digit kills for the Vikings.
- Gina Kilner recorded a career-high 52 assists.
- Dayna Roberts led the Viking defense with 19 digs.
- Alexis Middlebrooks had a team-high five blocks, while Aaliyah Slappy and Rachel Stover each added four.

Match Notes
- The 3-1 win against Central Michigan improved CSU to 5-1 on the season.

The Match
The Vikings controlled play throughout the entire first set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and holding the advantage for the remainder of the frame. After a 7-2 run during the middle of the frame, CSU was able to gain a 17-11 advantage following a Dayna Roberts service ace, and the Vikings were then able to close out the frame on an 8-4 run, including back-to-back kills from Grace Kauth to put the frame away.

Central Michigan responded by picking up a five-point victory in the second frame to even the match at 1-1, but the Vikings bounced back with a 25-22 victory during the third set. The third set was much like the first, with CSU jumping out to an early lead and then gaining an 18-11 lead following a 5-1 run that included kills from Kauth, Christina Toth and Rachel Stover. The Vikings were then able to hold a sizable lead until the end of the frame, when CMU came within one point at 22-21 before Cleveland State put the set away by scoring three of the final four points.

During the final frame Cleveland State had to battle back from a 14-9 deficit midway through the set, going on an 8-1 run to gain a 17-15 advantage on another Kauth kill. The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, until CSU was finally able to notch back-to-back points on two straight Toth kills to pick up the 3-1 match victory.

Up Next
- Cleveland State vs. Binghamton – 12:30 p.m. – Saturday, Sept. 5 – CSU Invitational
- Cleveland State vs. Cincinnati – 7:00 p.m. – Saturday, Sept. 5 – CSU Invitational