ROCHESTER, Mich. – Behind a career-high 26 kills from Christina Toth and a career-high tying 16 kills from Alexis Middlebrooks, the Cleveland State volleyball team was able to remain perfect in Horizon League play Friday, pulling out a 3-2 victory at Oakland. The Vikings are now 15-3 overall this season, and 4-0 in league play.
The Scores
25-19, 25-22, 24-26, 23-25, 15-13
Milestone Tracker
With her 11-dig performance against the Golden Grizzlies, senior Dayna Roberts became the 16th Viking all-time to notch 1,000 career digs, ending the match with 1,001. Roberts, who also has 1,895 assists on her career, is just the second Viking to record 1,000 digs and 1,800 assists. Roberts joins her classmate Nikki Holmes – who recorded her 1,000th dig against Youngstown State last time out – in the 1,000-dig club.
Match Stats
· Christina Toth led the Viking offense with a career-high 26 kills on a .404 hitting percentage (26-7-47).
· Alexis Middlebrooks also recorded double-digit kills for the Vikings, tying her career-high with 16 kills.
· Gina Kilner notched her fourth double-double of the season with 48 assists and 12 digs on the night.
· Shannon Grega led the Viking defense with 14 digs, while Grace Kauth added 13 and Dayna Roberts notched 11.
· Christina Toth led the Viking blocking efforts, posting five total blocks, including two solo blocks.
· As a team, Cleveland State posted eight service aces against Oakland, including a career-high tying five from Grace Kauth.
Match Notes
· Cleveland State extended its winstreak to seven straight matches – just the seventh time under head coach Chuck Voss that the Vikings have tallied at least seven straight wins.
· This was CSU's sixth five-set match of the season, with the Vikings owning a 5-1 record during five-set contests.
· The Vikings remain the only Horizon League team to be undefeated in league action this season.
The Match
During the opening set the two teams traded points throughout the first part of the frame, until Cleveland State was able to gain an 18-11 advantage following a 7-2 run. The Vikings were then able to carry the momentum through the end of the frame, picking up two of the final three points on Christina Toth kills to earn the 25-19 first set victory.
Despite getting out to a quick start during the second set - including back-to-back service aces from Grace Kauth to open the frame – the Vikings had to battle from behind during the majority of the frame, finishing on a 5-2 run to pick up the second set victory. Midway through the second set the Vikings went on a 6-1 run to regain the lead, but the Golden Grizzlies stormed back to take an 18-17 advantage before Cleveland State regained control on back-to-back Oakland errors and an Alexis Middlebrooks kill at the 20-18 mark. The Vikings then held the advantage for the remainder of the set, capping it off with a Rachel Dohar service ace.
After dropping the next two sets, Cleveland State regained momentum and came out strong during the fifth and deciding set, gaining a quick 6-3 lead on back-to-back kills from Toth and Rachel Stover to open the frame. The Golden Grizzlies weren't done yet though, as they slowly chipped away at the Cleveland State lead until they were able to tie the frame at 11-11. The two teams then traded points until yet another Toth kill was able to put the frame and the match away for the Vikings.
Up Next
· Cleveland State @ Wright State – Saturday, October 10 – 4:00 p.m. – Fairborn, Ohio
