CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team was able to pick up its 10th straight win Friday evening, posting a three-set sweep of the Valparaiso Crusaders. With the win, the Vikings improve to 19-4 overall this season and 10-1 in Horizon League play.
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Match Stats
· Alexis Middlebrooks led the Viking offense with 14 kills, while Grace Kauth added 11.
· Aaliyah Slappy and Sydney Mast both posted nine kills each.
· Gina Kilner tallied 44 assists on the match.
· Shannon Grega had a team-high 17 digs, while Grace Kauth added 12 and Rachael Dohar and Jordan Verbiak both notched 10.
· Alexis Middlebrooks recorded four blocks on the match, while Sydney Mast and Sara Skeens both added two each.
· As a team, the Vikings posted a .273 hitting percentage, including a .619 clip from Alexis Middlebrooks.
Match Notes
· Friday's three-set sweep over Valparaiso marked the third season sweep for the Vikings, as they picked up a 3-1 win over the Crusaders earlier this season.
· Cleveland State's victory against Valpo extended its current winstreak to 10 straight matches, as the Vikings have now posted 10 consecutive wins five times under head coach Chuck Voss.
· Friday's victory also kept the Vikings perfect during the month of October, as Cleveland State is now 8-0 since the start of the month.
· Cleveland State is now just one win shy of notching its seventh 20-win season under head coach Chuck Voss.
· With her 11-kill performance against the Crusaders, Grace Kauth moved into fourth place in the CSU Career Record book with 1,361 career kills.
The Match
During the opening frame, both teams traded points throughout the majority of the set, until Cleveland State was able to go on a 4-0 run to gain a 22-18 advantage on a Sydney Mast and Alexis Middlebrooks block. From here, the Vikings rattled off three of the last four points, closing out the set on a Jordan Verbiak service ace and Valparaiso error.
The Vikings were able to gain a sizeable lead much earlier during the second set, as Cleveland State got out to a 14-7 advantage after a 6-0 run that included kills from Mast, Aaliyah Slappy, and Sara Skeens. The Vikings were then able to hold the advantage for the rest of the frame, and cruised to the 25-16 set victory following back-to-back kills from Slappy and Grace Kauth.
The third frame was much of the same, as Cleveland State was able to get an early lead at the 10-5 mark following another Slappy kill, and went on to hold a multi-point lead for the rest of the set. The Vikings were then able to extend their lead to 19-11 after two straight kills from Middlebrooks, and then closed out the frame with back-to-back kills from Slappy and Kauth.
Up Next
· Cleveland State vs. Northern Kentucky – Saturday, November 28 – 4:00 p.m. – Woodling Gymnasium.
