CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team extended its current winstreak to six matches Friday evening, picking up a 3-1 victory over Wright State. With the win, the Vikings now stand at 22-4 overall this season and 11-1 in Horizon League play.
The Scores
25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 29-27
Match Stats
· The trio of Alexis Middlebrooks, Grace Kauth and Christina Toth once again led the Viking offense, each of them recording 17 kills.
· Gina Kilner recorded 48 assists on the night.
· The Vikings had four players with double-digit digs on the night, led by Dayna Roberts who tallied 19. Grace Kauth added 18 digs for her 14th double-double of the season. Gina Kilner recorded her seventh double-double adding 11 digs, while Shannon Grega added 17.
· As a team, the Vikings tallied 12.5 total blocks, with Aaliyah Slappy notching seven and Alexis Middlebrooks and Christina Toth each posting five.
Match Notes
· The Vikings are currently on a six-match winstreak and have won 14 of their last 15 matches.
· Cleveland State remains atop the Horizon League standings with a league-best 11-1 record and will face No. 2 Oakland tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 7).
· With her 17 kills, Grace Kauth now has 960 kills on her career.
· Christina Toth eclipsed the 900 kill mark for her career Friday evening, ending the match with 914 kills.
· Cleveland State notched double-digit team blocks (12.5) for the 12th time this season.
The Match
The Vikings got out to a strong start Friday evening, opening the match with five straight points and were then able to extend their lead to 8-2 during the first set on a Christina Toth kill. The Vikings controlled play throughout the rest of the opening frame, holding a sizeable lead throughout. Cleveland State was able to gain the early 1-0 set lead after picking up two of the final three points on a Wright State error and a Grace Kauth kill.
The second frame was much tighter, as both teams battled back and forth throughout the first half of the set. The Vikings were finally able to distance themselves at the 16-13 mark following a 4-1 run which included kills from Gina Kilner and Alexis Middlebrooks. The Vikings were then able to hold the advantage for the remainder of the set, closing out the frame with another Toth kill.
Despite being down 2-0 in the match, the Raiders came out hot after the intermission, picking up a 25-22 victory during the third frame to put the match at 2-1 Vikings.
During the fourth frame the Vikings had to battle to regain control of the match, with 18 tie scores and seven lead changes during the set. Both teams battled from the very beginning of the set, as neither team held more than a three-point advantage throughout the entire frame. After fighting for three set points, the Vikings were finally able to put the frame and the match away with a Middlebrooks kill and a Wright State error, picking up the 3-1 match victory.
Up Next
· Cleveland State vs. Oakland – Saturday, November 7 – 4:00 p.m. – Woodling Gym – Senior Day
