SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened the 2016 season Friday afternoon, posting a 3-1 victory over Western Michigan to earn the program's 10th season-opening victory under head coach Chuck Voss. The Vikings (1-0) are participating in the Golden Dome Invitational hosted by Notre Dame to kickoff the 2016 campaign.
Set Scores
25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22
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Match Stats
• Grace Kauth and Alexis Middlebrooks led the Viking offense, Kauth posting 19 kills and Middlebrooks notching 16.
• Sydney Mast and Sara Skeens were just shy of the double-digit mark – both finishing the match with nine kills.
• Gina Kilner was just shy of a triple-double for the match, finishing with 43 assists, 10 digs, and eight kills.
• Grace Kauth notched her first double-double of the season as she posted 18 digs to go along with her 19 kills.
• Libero Shannon Grega led the Viking defense, finishing with 20 digs against WMU.
• Aaliyah Slappy posted a team-best three blocks, including one solo block, while Gina Kilner added two blocks.
• Jordan Verbiak recorded six digs along with a team-best two service aces.
Match Notes
• Gina Kilner's 43-assist performance now gives her 1,990 for her career – needing just 10 more helpers to become the seventh Viking all-time to eclipse the 2,000 assist mark.
• Shannon Grega's 20-dig effort marked just her second 20+ dig performance of her career.
• Freshmen Sara Skeens and Jordan Verbiak made their collegiate debuts against WMU, while redshirt freshman Tyra Darden also saw action for the first time in a Viking uniform.
• Head coach Chuck Voss is now just two-wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history, and is also now eight wins shy of notching his 300th victory at Cleveland State.
• This marked the 10th time under Voss that the Vikings have won their season-opening match.
The Match
Cleveland State got out to a hot start to begin the 2016 season, cruising to a 25-17 victory in the first set. The Vikings were able to post the first three points of the frame on a trio of kills from Sydney Mast, Gina Kilner, and Alexis Middlebrooks, and then went on to hold the led for the rest of the set. Cleveland State was then able to distance itself during the middle of the frame following a Grace Kauth kill that gave the Vikings a 15-9 advantage. CSU followed that up by posting the final five points of the set, four of which came with freshman Jordan Verbiak behind the line to serve.
After dropping the second set, the Vikings battled back to pick up a third-set victory, with both teams going back-and-forth throughout the entire frame. Cleveland State wasn't able to hold onto a large lead during the frame, but picked up points during crucial parts of the set. With the score tied at 23-23, the Viking offense came alive, with back-to-back kills from Sara Skeens and Mast to close out the frame and gain the 2-1 advantage in the match.
The fourth set was much like the third with both teams battling back-and-forth, until the middle of the frame when Cleveland State was able to gain an 18-14 advantage following a pair of kills from Kilner and Middlebrooks. From this point on the Vikings were able to control the frame, coming away with the 25-22 set victory to clinch the match.
Up Next
• Cleveland State will continue play at the Golden Dome Invitational tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 27):
12:30 p.m. - Cleveland State at Notre Dame
4:30 p.m. – Cleveland State vs. Seton Hall
