CSU INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
· The Vikings were well represented on the All-Tournament Team, as Grace Kauth was named the Tournament MVP, while Rachel Stover and Gina Kilner earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
· Through the two matches today, Kauth tallied a team-high 34 kills (4.25 kills per set) and a team-best 25 digs (3.12 digs per set).
· Rachel Stover combined for 12 kills and five blocks on the tournament, while Gina Kilner tallied 80 assists, 18 digs, nine kills, and four blocks.
CLEVELAND STATE 3, EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
Match Stats
· Grace Kauth led the Viking offense with 12 kills on the match, while Sydney Mast added eight and Alexis Middlebrooks posted six.
· Grace Kauth also posted a team-best nine digs against the Eagles, while Jordan Verbiak and Gina Kilner both added seven and Shannon Grega and Rachael Dohar each posted six digs.
· Alexis Middlebrooks tallied a team-high five blocks, with Gina Kilner and Sydney Mast both adding two blocks.
· The Viking defense held Eastern Michigan to a .058 hitting percentage.
PDF BOX SCORE | HTML BOX SCORE
Match Notes
· With the win, Chuck Voss becomes the all-time winningest coach in program history, finishing the match with 294 wins. Voss, who is in his 17th season at the helm of the Vikings, is also now just six wins shy of notching his 300th victory at Cleveland State.
· Grace Kauth posted her third double-digit kill match of the season with her 12-kill performance.
· Freshman Trinniti Hall made her collegiate debut against EMU, posting three kills and one dig.
CLEVELAND STATE 3, TENNESSEE 2
Match Stats
· Grace Kauth led a trio of Vikings with double-digit kills, finishing with 22 kills while Alexis Middlebrooks added 13 and Rachel Stover tallied a career-high 12 kills.
· Gina Kilner recorded 54 assists and led Cleveland State to a .235 hitting percentage.
· Four Vikings finished the match with double-digit digs, led by Grace Kauth who notched 16. Shannon Grega posted 15 digs against Tennessee, while Gina Kilner added 11 and Rachael Dohar tallied 10.
· Aaliyah Slappy posted a career-high nine blocks – including two solo blocks – while Alexis Middlebrooks added six blocks and Rachel Stover added five.
· As a team, the Vikings combined for 16.0 total blocks on the match.
PDF BOX SCORE | HTML BOX SCORE
Match Notes
· Grace Kauth's double-double marked her third of the season, while Gina Kilner tallied her second double-double of the year.
· Friday's 3-2 victory over the Volunteers marked Cleveland State's first win over Tennessee, as the overall record now sits at 2-1 (UT).
· Over the past two years, Cleveland State now owns a 4-1 record against teams from the 'Power Five' conferences.
· Following the Tennessee win, Chuck Voss now owns 295 career wins at Cleveland State, needing just five more to reach the 300-win milestone.
The Match
After dropping the first two sets, Cleveland State roared back during the final three frames, earning their come-from-behind five-set victory over the Volunteers. Although the Vikings dropped the first two sets, they still gave Tennessee all they could handle, as both sets went extra – UT capturing set one 29-27 and set two 28-26.
During the third frame the two teams battled back-and-forth until the midway point when Tennessee was able to gain a three-point advantage at 16-13. The Vikings responded with four of the next five points though, as they were able to tie the set at 17-17 following a Trinniti Hall kill. Cleveland State was then able to hold the lead for the remainder of the frame, closing out the set with a pair of kills from Rachel Stover and Grace Kauth.
The Vikings then went on to tie the match at 2-2 following a 25-22 victory during the fourth set – a set that they were able to lead wire-to-wire. During the middle of the frame Cleveland State was able to gain a 17-11 advantage, once again picking up this lead on a Hall kill. The Vikings were then able to hold a sizable lead for the rest of the frame, at put the set away with an Aaliyah Slappy kill.
After forcing the match to a fifth a deciding set, the Vikings brought everything they could to the frame, once again forcing the set into extra points. The two teams were evenly matched throughout the first part of the frame, until Tennessee was able to gain an 11-9 lead. Cleveland State answered with three straight points on a Kauth kill, Gina Kilner and Alexis Middlebrooks block, and a UT error to regain a 12-11 advantage. The teams then went on to trade points over the next few plays, until Cleveland State was able to gain a match-point at 15-14 following another UT error. Although the Volunteers were able to fend off this match point, the Vikings got another change two points later at 16-15 following a Slappy kill, but once against Tennessee responded to even the set at 16-16. Cleveland State would have one final push though, as the Vikings picked up another match-point on a Volunteer service ace and then put the match away with a block from Slappy and Kauth.
2016 CSU Invitational Final Results
Cleveland State | 2-0
Tennessee | 1-1
Eastern Michigan | 0-2
Up Next
· Cleveland State will close out its three-match homestand tomorrow (Saturday, September 3), hosting Boise State at 4:00 p.m.
