PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – For the third straight weekend the Cleveland State volleyball team has won its opening match, as the Vikings picked up a thrilling five-set win over Temple Friday evening. With the win, the Vikings are now 5-2 on the season.

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Match Stats
· Grace Kauth paced the Viking offense with 23 kills against Temple, while Alexis Middlebrooks added 12 kills.
· Sara Skeens and Sydney Mast both added eight kills for the Vikings.
· Gina Kilner recorded 50 assists on the match, along with five kills and five digs.
· Shannon Grega led the Viking defense posting 14 digs, while Grace Kauth tallied 11 digs.
· Aaliyah Slappy tallied a team-best four blocks, while Alexis Middlebrooks, Grace Kauth and Sydney Mast all added three blocks.

Match Notes
· Cleveland State now owns a 2-0 record in five-set matches this season.
· Grace Kauth eclipsed the 20-kill mark for the second time this season (22 vs. Tennessee).
· Head coach Chuck Voss is now just four wins shy of reaching the 300-win milestone at Cleveland State.
· With her 11 digs, Grace Kauth now has 999 on her career, just one dig shy of becoming the 17^th Viking all-time to record 1,000 career digs.
· Alexis Middlebrooks eclipsed the 250-block mark for her career Friday evening, ending the match with 252 total blocks.

The Match
After dropping the first set, Cleveland State was able to bounce back and even the match at 1-1 by picking up a 25-22 victory during the second frame. The two teams were evenly matched throughout the second set, as both teams traded points throughout the frame until Cleveland State was able to gain a 20-18 lead following a Grace Kauth and Aaliyah Slappy block. From this point on, the Vikings were able to control the set, closing out the frame with an Alexis Middlebrooks kill and Temple error.

The Vikings were then able to gain a 2-1 advantage in the contest with a matching 25-22 victory during the third set – which turned out to be another tightly contested frame. Once again the two teams traded points throughout the first part of the set, as the frame included 13 tie scores and six lead changes. Following suit from the second frame, the Vikings distanced themselves at the 20-18 mark with a block from Middlebrooks and Gina Kilner, and went on to hold the lead for the remainder of the set. Cleveland State closed out the frame by posting the final two points of the set, earning the victory on a Sydney Mast kill and another Temple error.

Although Temple was able to even the contest at 2-2 with a victory in the fourth set, Cleveland State came out swinging during the fifth and deciding frame, gaining a 10-5 advantage and never looking back. The Vikings gained the five-point lead on a Sara Skeens kill, and went on to earn five of the final eight points in the match. Cleveland State's match-winner came from Kauth, as she tallied her 23^rd kill of the contest to clinch the victory for the Vikings.

Up Next
· Cleveland State will face Rutgers (12:30 p.m.) and New Hampshire (4:00 p.m.) on day two of the Cherry & White Challenge tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 10).