CLEVELAND, Ohio – With a 3-0 sweep over Youngstown State Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland State volleyball team clinched the 2016 Horizon League Regular Season Title – its second straight regular season crown. The Vikings enter the final week of Horizon League play standing at 22-4 overall this season and 13-1 in league play.
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2016 Horizon League Regular Season Champions
· The Vikings captured their fourth Horizon League Regular Season title under head coach Chuck Voss (2009, 2012, 2015), and their second straight regular season crown.
· Along with clinching the regular season title, the Vikings also clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Horizon League Tournament, and the right to host the tournament which will take place Friday, November 18 through Sunday, November 20.
Match Stats
· Grace Kauth recorded a team-high 16 kills against YSU, while Sara Skeens added 11 and Alexis Middlebrooks and Sydney Mast both posted nine kills.
· Gina Kilner recorded 39 assists on the match, along with 12 digs.
· Shannon Grega led the Viking defense with 13 digs, while Jordan Verbiak added 10 and Grace Kauth tallied nine.
· Alexis Middlebrooks recorded a team-best four blocks, while Mariah Carrero-Johnson and Grace Kauth both added two.
· As a team, the Vikings posted a .412 hitting percentage (49-9-97), including a .727 clip from Sydney Mast (9-1-11).
Match Notes
· Cleveland State's victory over Youngstown State extended its current winstreak to 13 straight matches, tying the longest winstreak for the Vikings under head coach Chuck Voss.
· The 3-0 sweep over the Penguins marked the 10th sweep of the season for the Vikings, and also gave Cleveland State the season sweep over YSU.
The Match
During the opening frame, both teams traded points throughout the first part of the set, until Cleveland State went on a 4-0 run to gain a 19-14 advantage after a Grace Kauth kill. The Vikings went on to control the frame from this point on then, as they closed the set with three straight points coming from an Alexis Middlebrooks kill, Kauth service ace and Middlebrooks and Gina Kilner block.
Cleveland State had to battle for a 26-24 victory during the second set then, as Youngstown State came back from a five-point deficit midway through the frame to tie the set at 24-24. Despite the YSU comeback, the Vikings were able to hold on to their momentum, closing out the frame with back-to-back kills from Kauth and Sara Skeens.
The third set was once again a tightly contested frame, as both teams traded points throughout the entire set. After a tie score at 17-17, the Vikings notched back-to-back points on kills from Kilner and Skeens to gain a slight 19-17 advantage – a lead that they would hold for the rest of the frame. The Vikings were able to extend their lead to four points at the 23-19 mark following a YSU error, and then closed the set with points off a Middlebrooks kill and another Penguin error.
Next Up
· Cleveland State @ Green Bay – Wednesday, November 9 – 7:00 p.m. EST – Green Bay, Wis.
