NCAA TOURNAMENT
Cleveland State vs. Arizona
Friday, December 2 | 5:00 p.m. | East Lansing, Mich.
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Cleveland State vs. Arizona - NCAA First Round

QUICK SETS
The Cleveland State volleyball team will be making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament this week, traveling to East Lansing, Mich. to take on Arizona in a First Round contest at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2. The winner of Friday's match will advance to play the winner of Michigan State/Fairfield in a Second Round contest on Saturday, December 3. Cleveland State earned the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the 2016 Horizon League Tournament title, and currently stands at 25-5 overall this year.

CLEVELAND STATE VS. THE FIELD
Friday's contest against Arizona will be the first meeting between the two teams, while a matchup against Fairfield in the second round would be the second in program history (CSU leads, 1-0) and a meeting with Michigan State would mark the 15th all-time (MSU leads, 13-1).

CLEVELAND STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
This will be Cleveland State's fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament - and second straight trip - with all four tournament appearances coming under current head coach Chuck Voss. The Vikings are 0-3 in NCAA Tournament play, falling to Albany (3-0, 2007), Kansas (3-1, 2012), and USC (3-1, 2015).

ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT…
The Vikings own a 25-5 overall record, and have won 16 of their last 17 matches. Cleveland State finished the non-league portion of its schedule with a 9-3 record earlier this year, including 'Power Five' conference victories over Rutgers (3-0) and Tennessee (3-2).

HORIZON LEAGUE REGULAR SEASON & TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!
For the third time in program history - and the second straight season - the Vikings swept the Horizon League titles, picking up both the Regular Season and Tournament crowns during 2016. This marks the fourth time that the Vikings have been Regular Season Champions (2009, 2012, 2015) and the fourth time that the Vikings have been Tournament Champions (2007, 2012, 2015). Cleveland State finished the regular season with a 14-2 mark in league action, setting a program record for league wins in a single season.

…THREE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
After claiming the Horizon League Championship, Cleveland State had three players named to the All-Tournament Team, including middle hitter Alexis Middlebrooks who was named the Tournament MVP for the second straight season. Middlebrooks posted 35 kills on a .353 hitting percentage (35-11-68), along with six total blocks in Cleveland State's two Horizon League Tournament matches. Also earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team were setter Gina Kilner (101 assists) and libero Shannon Grega (34 digs).

20 WINS AND COUNTING
Earlier this season the Vikings notched their seventh 20-win season under head coach Chuck Voss and their 16th 20-win season in program history. Entering the NCAA Tournament, CSU stands at 25-5 this season. The 25 wins is the second highest single-season win total at Cleveland State over the past 30 years, and is just one win shy of tying the single-season win total record under Voss (26 wins during the 2009 & 2015 seasons).

HEAD COACH CHUCK VOSS
Chuck Voss is in his 17th season at the helm of the Vikings, and eclipsed the 300-win mark for his Cleveland State career earlier this season along with becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history. Under Voss, the Vikings have eclipsed the 20-win mark seven times, and have captured Horizon League Tournament titles four times (2007, 2012, 2015 & 2016). Voss is a five-time Horizon League Coach of the Year, including earning co-coach of the year honors earlier this season.

CLEVELAND STATE IN NEUTRAL SITE MATCHES
So far this season Cleveland State owns a perfect 6-0 record in neutral site matches, with wins over Western Michigan, Seton Hall, Rutgers, New Hampshire, IUPUI, and Arkansas State. Over the last two seasons, the Vikings have gone 12-1 when playing at a neutral site, with the only loss coming as a five-set decision to Bowling Green during the first tournament of the 2015 season.

…NCAA NEUTRAL SITE MATCHES
Friday's match against Arizona will mark just the third time over the last 10 seasons that a Horizon League team is playing in a neutral site match during the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The only other neutral site matches for a Horizon League team came during the 2009 and 2007 seasons; Dayton 3 - Milwaukee 2 (2009) and Albany 3 - Cleveland State 0 (2007).

HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings rank in the top-50 nationally in hitting percentage and kills, while they have led the Horizon League in both categories throughout the season. Cleveland State currently owns a .252 hitting percentage - a mark that ranks second in the CSU Single-Season Record Book - while the Vikings are averaging 13.82 kills per set. Cleveland State has tallied a .275 clip or better during 10 matches this year, including a season-high mark of .412 against Youngstown State (49-9-97).

…KILNER ECLIPSES 3,000 CAREER ASSISTS
A large part of Cleveland State's high octane offense comes from junior setter Gina Kilner, who has helped guide the Vikings to their .252 hitting percentage this season. Kilner enters NCAA Tournament play as one of just six Vikings all-time with at least 3,000 career assists, owning 3,173 career helpers. Kilner joins current assistant coach Mel (Snyder) Badziong (2004-07) in the exclusive club, and is averaging 10.66 assists per set this season.

VIKING DUO NOTCHES 300-BLOCK CAREERS
For just the fourth time under head coach Chuck Voss, two Vikings on the same team have eclipsed the 300 block mark for their careers, as Aaliyah Slappy and Alexis Middlebrooks joined the exclusive club earlier this season. Entering Friday's NCAA First Round contest, Middlebrooks has 344 total blocks on her career, while Slappy owns 338 total blocks. Both Vikings rank in the top-10 in the Horizon League, Slappy sitting fifth averaging 1.10 blocks per set and Middlebrooks ranking 10th with a 1.01 blocks per set average.

…IN THE CSU CAREER RECORD BOOK
Alexis Middlebrooks and Aaliyah Slappy also enter the NCAA Tournament ranked in the top-10 in the CSU Career Record book in block assists - Middlebrooks ranking seventh with 306 and Slappy ranking eighth with 295. This marks the first time since the 2010 season that a Viking has cracked the top-10 list in block assists, while Middlebrooks is just the seventh Viking all-time to record 300 career block assists. 

KAUTH JOINS DOUBLE 1K CLUB
Earlier this season, senior Grace Kauth became just the sixth Viking all-time to eclipse 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs, and enters NCAA Tournament play ranked third in the CSU Career Record Book with 1,449 kills and fourth with 1,232 digs. Kauth, who became the 16th Viking all-time to notch 1,000 career kills last season, became the 17th Viking all-time to reach 1,000 career digs against Rutgers (Sept. 10) during non-league play. Kauth is averaging a team-best 3.56 kills per set this season and ranks second averaging 2.82 digs per set, and is the only Viking to rank in the top-five in the CSU Career Record Book in both categories.

SKEENS & VERBIAK HAVE STANDOUT ROOKIE CAMPAIGNS
Sara Skeens and Jordan Verbiak have both had excellent rookie campaigns so far this year, as both have been regulars in the Cleveland State lineup throughout the 30-match season. Skeens, who was named the Horizon League Co-Freshman of the Year earlier this month, ranks third on the team averaging 2.55 kills per set, and has notched double-digit kills during 16 matches. Verbiak has been an integral part of the Viking defense this season, appearing in all 115 sets, and ranking third on the team averaging 2.12 digs per set.

VIKING GREEN, WHITE...& GOLD?
In addition to their usual green and white uniforms, the Vikings have been sporting gold shoelaces throughout the 2016 season in an effort to raise awareness for Pediatric Cancer. The gold shoelaces are one of many initiatives that the Cleveland State athletic department has been involved with this season, as the Vikings work to support Pediatric Cancer research in a department-wide community service effort.

KAUTH AND GREGA NAMED ALL-ACADEMIC
The Viking duo of Grace Kauth and Shannon Grega picked up Horizon League All-Academic honors earlier this season, Kauth earning the accolade for the third time in her career, and Grega picking up her first All-Academic honor. Kauth, a marketing major with a 3.88 GPA, and Grega, a nursing student with a 3.79 GPA, have both been named to the Cleveland State Dean's List every semester of their collegiate careers, and have picked up CSU Athletic Academic honors every year they have been eligibile. 

…KAUTH NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior outside hitter Grace Kauth was named one of 30 candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate volleyball, which highlights excellence in community, classroom, character, and competition. Among her volleyball and community service accolades, Kauth holds a 3.88 GPA in marketing, and is serving as the Cleveland State SAAC President this season.