CLEVELAND, Ohio – Behind a career-high 28 kills from junior Grace Kauth, the Cleveland State volleyball team got back on the winning track Friday evening, picking up a 3-2 victory against Valparaiso. The win improves Cleveland State to 17-4 overall this season and 6-1 in Horizon League play.

Box Score | PDF Box Score

The Scores
25-19, 24-26, 17-25, 25-21, 15-11

Match Stats
· Grace Kauth led the Viking offense with a career-high 28 kills – her third 20-kill match of the season.
· Christina Toth added 15 kills for the Vikings, while Alexis Middlebrooks notched 10 kills on a .421 hitting percentage (10-2-19).
· Gina Kilner recorded 49 assists and 13 digs on the match – her fifth double-double of the season.
· Shannon Grega had a team-best 14 digs, while Grace Kauth notched 13 marking her 12^th double-double of the season.
· Aaliyah Slappy led the CSU blocking effort with five blocks, while Grace Kauth, Gina Kilner, and Christina Toth each added three blocks.
· As a team, CSU posted 60 kills, its eighth 60-kill match of the season.

Match Notes
· With the win Friday, the Vikings remain the only team in the Horizon League with just one loss on the season.
· Friday's match was CSU's seventh five-set contest of the year, with the Vikings owning a 5-2 record in five-set matches.
· The Vikings have now won nine out of their last 10 matches.
· With her six assists against the Crusaders, Dayna Roberts became the seventh Viking all-time to notch 1,900 assists, ending the match with 1,905 helpers.

The Match
Both teams traded points throughout the first part of the opening set, until Cleveland State was able to gain a five-point advantage at the 20-15 mark following five straight points. During this stretch, CSU forced three Valparaiso errors and got kills from Christina Toth and Grace Kauth. The Vikings were then able to control play for the remainder of the set, closing out the frame with an Alexis Middlebrooks kills.

After dropping the next two sets, the Vikings came out strong during the fourth frame, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. Despite the advantage, Valparaiso was able to climb its way back into the match, tying the frame at 9-9, before Cleveland State once again took control of the frame. The Vikings were able to extend their lead to 12-9 following three straight points on a pair of blocks and a Valpo error, and then held the advantage for the rest of the frame. To close out the set, CSU posted two of the final three points on kills from Kauth and Toth.

Cleveland State then carried its momentum into the fifth and final set, controlling play throughout the majority of the frame. The Vikings were able to distance themselves at the 10-7 mark, and then went on to outscore Valpo 5-4 over the final nine points of the frame, closing out the match with a Toth kill and a Crusader error.

Up Next
· Cleveland State vs. UIC – Saturday, October 17 – 4:00 p.m. – Woodling Gymnasium