TOLEDO, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team captured its second tournament title of the season Saturday, claiming the Blue/Gold Invitational title after picking up a 3-0 victory over Toledo. The Vikings went 3-0 over the two-day tournament, picking up wins against Radford, Robert Morris, and the host Rockets.
The Scores
25-11, 26-24, 25-14
All-Tournament Honors
- Christina Toth was named the Blue/Gold Invitational MVP after leading the Viking offense with 52 kills on the weekend, including a career-high 24 against Radford. Toth averaged 4.72 kills per set, and posted a .440 (52-8-100) hitting percentage.
- Grace Kauth earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after combining for 49 kills and 35 digs on the weekend, including double-doubles against Radford (17K, 16D) and Toledo (14K, 14D).
- Gina Kilner was also named to the All-Tournament team after posting 136 assists on the weekend, including a career-high 56 against Radford. Kilner helped the Vikings to a .319 hitting percentage over the two-day tournament.
Match Stats
- The trio of Christina Toth (15 kills), Grace Kauth (14), and Alexis Middlebrooks (13) combined for 42 of Cleveland State's 49 kills against Toledo.
- Christina Toth posted a team-best .600 hitting percentage (15-0-25) against the Rockets.
- As a team, CSU posted a .350 hitting percentage, while holding Toledo to just a .077 clip.
- Gina Kilner tallied 41 assists on Cleveland State's 49 kills.
- Grace Kauth tallied a team-high 14 digs, while Dayna Roberts added 13 digs.
Match Notes
- The Vikings finished the non-league portion of their schedule with an 11-3 record.
- Cleveland State now enters Horizon League play on a three-match winstreak.
The Match
The Vikings came out strong Saturday afternoon, jumping out to a quick 11-6 lead in the first set following a Christina Toth kill and an Alexis Middlebrooks service ace. Cleveland State then extended its lead to 14-9 after a service ace from Shannon Grega, before closing out the frame on an 11-2 run that was capped off by back-to-back kills from Middlebrooks and Grace Kauth for the 25-11 victory.
The second frame was a bit tougher for the Vikings, as both teams traded points throughout the entire set. The two teams traded leads throughout the majority of the frame, until Cleveland State was finally able to string together three straight points on three straight Toth kills for the 26-24 win.
The third frame was much like the first, as Cleveland State was able to gain a 15-10 advantage and then controlled play throughout the rest of the set. The Vikings were able to extend their lead at 18-12 following a Rocket error, and then went on a 7-2 run to close out the frame, earning the set and match victory on a Middlebrooks kills.
Blue/Gold Invitational Standings
Cleveland State 3-0
Toledo 2-1
Radford 1-2
Robert Morris 0-3
Up Next
- Cleveland State vs. Green Bay – Friday, September 25 @ 7:00 p.m. – Woodling Gymnasium
- Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee – Saturday, September 26 @ 4:00 p.m. – Woodling Gymnasium
