PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Cleveland State volleyball team split its final day of non-league play Saturday, picking up a 3-1 victory over UC Santa Barbara and falling to Pittsburgh, 3-0 at the Panther Challenge. The Vikings will now enter Horizon League play with a 7-4 record.
Panther Challenge All-Tournament Team
· After going 2-1 on the weekend, the Vikings had two players named to the All-Tournament Team; Gina Kilner and Sara Skeens.
· For the weekend, Gina Kilner averaged 10.09 assists per set, while she also averaged 2.00 digs and tallied 12 total kills. She tallied her third double-double of the season against Eastern Kentucky in the first match of the weekend, notching 41 assists and 10 digs. This marks Kilner's third straight all-tournament team honor.
· Sara Skeens picks up her first all-tournament honor of the season, after leading the Viking offense with 4.33 kills per set this weekend. Skeens tallied double-digit kills in all three matches, including a weekend-high 14 against EKU. Skeens also recorded five blocks and seven digs on the weekend.
Cleveland State vs. UC Santa Barbara Box Score
Match Stats
· Three Vikings finished the match with double-digit kills, including Alexis Middlebrooks and Sara Skeens who both posted 12. Mariah Carrero-Johnson also added 10 kills.
· Emily DeGeorge and Katie Mihalik aided the Viking offense with eight kills each.
· Shannon Grega led the Viking defense with 19 digs, while Emily DeGeorge added 12 digs.
· Mariah Carrero-Johnson tallied a team-best seven blocks against UCSB, while Sara Skeens added four and Emily DeGeorge tallied two.
· Gina Kilner notched 43 assists on the match.
Match Notes
· Mariah Carrero-Johnson set a career-high with seven blocks against UCSB, while she was just shy of trying her career-high with the 10 kills.
· With her 12 kills against UCSB, Alexis Middlebrooks eclipsed the 900-kill mark for her career, ending the match with 903.
· Katie Mihalik set a career-best with her eight kills on the match.
· The 3-1 victory over UCSB marked the fifth straight win for the Vikings.
· This was just the second meeting all-time between the two teams, and the first since the 1984 season.
The Match
During the opening set the two teams traded points until the 14-14 mark when the Vikings were able to tie the frame on a Sara Skeens kill and then post five of the next six points to gain a 19-15 advantage forcing a UCSB timeout. The Vikings continued their scoring streak out of the timeout, as they extended their lead to five points on a Gina Kilner service ace and then closed out the frame with a pair of kills from Katie Mihalik and Alexis Middlebrooks.
The second frame was much of the same, as both teams traded points throughout the majority of the set, until a late run from the Vikings gave Cleveland State a 19-16 advantage forcing a UCSB timeout. During this late run, the Vikings were able to post six unanswered points, earning a 21-16 lead on a block from Mihalik and Mariah Carrero-Johnson. The Vikings then had to hold off a UCSB run to claim the second set victory on a Middlebrooks kill.
After dropping the third set, the Vikings battled their way back during the fourth frame, earning a 15-12 advantage midway through after a 5-1 run that included three UCSB errors and two Middlebrooks service aces. After UCSB was able to come within one point at the 18-17 mark, the Vikings responded with three straight points on another pair of UCSB errors and a Rachel Stover kill to regain a 21-17 lead. UC Santa Barbara was once again able to close the gap over the next few plays, but the Vikings held strong to come away with the fourth set victory to clinch the match.
Cleveland State vs. Pittsburgh Box Score
Match Stats
· Sara Skeens led the Viking offense with 13 kills, while Trinniti Hall added eight and Alexis Middlebrooks tallied four.
· Shannon Grega tallied a team-best 11 digs.
· Alexis Middlebrooks led the Vikings with two total blocks.
Match Notes
· Saturday night's match against Pittsburgh marked the final non-league contest of the season for the Vikings.
CSU Career Record Book
· With her 30 digs against UCSB and Pittsburgh, Shannon Grega cracked the top-10 in the CSU Career Record Book, finishing non-league play ranked ninth with 1,126 career digs.
Up Next
· The Vikings will begin Horizon League play next weekend, traveling to Milwaukee (Friday, September 22) and UIC (Saturday, September 23) to begin their 16-match #HLVB slate.
