MATCH #12
@ Milwaukee | Friday, September 22 | 7:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats | Live Video
MATCH #13
@ UIC | Saturday, September 23 | 5:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats | Live Video
CLEVELAND STATE MATCH NOTES @ MILWAUKEE/UIC
QUICK SETS
After an 11-match non-league slate, the Cleveland State volleyball team is set to begin Horizon League play this weekend, traveling to Milwaukee (Friday, September 22) and UIC (Saturday, September 23) for a pair of contests. The Vikings enter Horizon League action with a 7-4 record and will be playing their 12th and 13th consecutive matches away from home.
THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
Milwaukee | The Panthers enter Horizon League play after a 7-7 non-league slate, and most recently went 0-3 at the Michigan Challenge against Cincinnati, No. 21 Michigan and NC State. The Panthers, who were selected to finish fourth in the #HLVB Preseason Poll, return eight letterwinners from last season including six starters.
UIC | The Flames finished non-league play with a 9-4 record, and have won seven of their last eight matches. UIC returns just five letterwinners from last year and will be under the direction of first-year head coach Justin Ingram. Earlier this season, the Flames were selected to finish seventh in the #HLVB Preseason Poll.
CLEVELAND STATE IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE
The Vikings, who will be playing in their 17th season of Horizon League play, enter the 2017 #HLVB season as the two-time defending Regular Season champions. Under head coach Chuck Voss, the Vikings own a 145-93 record in regular season Horizon League matches, and won a program-best 14 league contests last year. Cleveland State has captured four Regular Season Horizon League crowns (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016), along with a quartet of tournament titles (2007, 2012, 2015, 2016).
…CLEVELAND STATE IN HORIZON LEAGUE OPENERS
Under head coach Chuck Voss, the Vikings own an 8-9 record in Horizon League openers, but have gone 6-2 over the past eight seasons. Friday's contest at Milwaukee will mark the 12th time that the Vikings will open league play on the road, and just the second time that they will face Milwaukee in the league opener (2003).
…VIKINGS TABBED HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Earlier this season the Vikings were selected to repeat as Horizon League Champions, as they were tabbed the Horizon League Preseason favorite, picking up 81 points and four first place votes in the league's preseason poll. The Vikings are two-time defending Horizon League Champions, and were named the preseason favorite for the second straight season.
ROAD WARRIORS
During the 2017 season the Vikings played their entire non-league slate away from home, and will play their first 13 matches - including this weekend's two league contests - on the road. During this stretch the Vikings will travel to six different states and will cover over 3,400 miles. Over the last three seasons, Cleveland State has had success playing away from the friendly confines of Woodling Gymnasium, owning a 36-13 record in true road and neutral site matches.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONORS
Through four early season tournaments this year, the Vikings accumulated eight All-Tournament Team honors and one Tournament title. Senior Gina Kilner led the Vikings with three All-Tournament accolades, while Alexis Middlebrooks (2 honors), Shannon Grega (1), Sara Skeens (1), and Emily DeGeorge (1) were also named to All-Tournament Teams.
…VIKINGS CAPTURE CHIPPEWA CHALLENGE TITLE
Cleveland State picked up its lone early season tournament title at the Chippewa Challenge, as the Vikings went 2-0 against Central Michigan and Indiana State to capture the crown. After posting a perfect record on the weekend, Gina Kilner and Emily DeGeorge were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Shannon Grega was named the Tournament MVP.
GREGA CRACKS TOP-10 IN CSU CAREER RECORD BOOK
After averaging 4.36 digs per set at the Panther Challenge last weekend, senior libero Shannon Grega finally earned a spot in the top-10 in the CSU Career Record Book, entering Horizon League play ranked ninth with 1,128 career digs. Grega, who became the 18th Viking to eclipse 1,000 digs earlier this season, ranks fifth among league players averaging 4.38 digs per set this year, and is just 10 digs shy of moving into eighth place on the list.
VIKINGS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Entering Horizon League play the Cleveland State offense leads the Horizon League in all three major statistical categories; hitting percentage (.264), kills (13.79/set) and assists (13.10/set). So far this season the Vikings have tallied 579 kills, with Alexis Middlebrooks carrying a large portion of the load (134 kills) and the trio of Trinniti Hall (93), Sara Skeens (74) and Emily DeGeorge (70) contributing 40-percent of Cleveland State's offense. The Vikings have notched a .250 hitting percentage or better in five matches, including a season-high clip of .381 against Indiana State (47-10-97).
…MIDDLEBROOKS SUPRASSES 900 CAREER KILLS
After combining for 29 kills at the Panther Challenge last weekend, senior Alexis Middlebrooks eclipsed the 900-kill mark for her career, entering league play with 907 career kills. Middlebrooks, who leads the Vikings and ranks ninth in the league averaging 3.19 kills per set, has tallied double-digit kills in seven matches this year including a career-high tying 20 against Alabama in the season opener. Middlebrooks is also one of the most efficient offensive threats for the Vikings, as she scurrently ranks fourth in the CSU Career Record Book with a .319 career hitting percentage (906-277-1970).
DeGEORGE CONTINUES STRONG COLLEGIATE DEBUT
Throughout the non-league slate, freshman Emily DeGeorge has had an excellent collegiate debut for the Vikings, as she enters Horizon League play averaging 2.52 digs and 1.67 kills per set. So far this season, DeGeorge has played in all 42 sets and has earned a spot in the starting lineup during nine matches. DeGeorge is one of two Vikings to record a double-double this season, as she notched 13 kills and 18 digs against Alabama in the season opener and 11 kills and 13 digs against Eastern Kentucky last weekend.
2017 WEEKLY #HLVB HONORS
So far this season the Vikings have been honored once by the Horizon League, as senior setter Gina Kilner was named the #HLVB Offensive Player of the Week on September 11. Kilner picked up the weekly honor after averaging 11.67 assists per set at the Chippewa Challenge en route to earning All-Tournament Team accolades. Kilner tallied 70 total assists on the weekend to become the fifth Viking all-time to eclipse the 3,500-assist mark, and helped the Vikings to a .374 hitting percentage as a team.
SKEENS PICKING UP THE PACE
After struggling with a few preseason injuries and getting off to a slow start this season, reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year Sara Skeens has picked up the pace over the last four matches. After averaging just 1.25 kills per set through the first seven matches of the year, Skeens has rebounded to record 54 total kills during the last four outings. As the only Viking to record double-digit kills in each of the last four matches, Skeens has been averaging 4.50 kills per set during this stretch and hitting at a .283 clip (54-18-127).
HEAD COACH CHUCK VOSS
Chuck Voss is in his 18th season at the helm of the Vikings, and owns a 322-199 (.618) overall record at CSU. Under Voss the Vikings have recorded 14 winning seasons, including eight straight entering the 2017 season. Cleveland State has eclipsed the 20-win mark seven times since Voss took over the program, and has captured Horizon League Tournament titles four times (2007, 2012, 2015 & 2016) under his guidance. Last season Voss became the all-time winningest coach in program history while also eclipsing the 300-win mark for his Cleveland State career - becoming the only active Horizon League coach to achieve the feat at their current school.
UP NEXT
After 13 straight road matches to begin the 2017 season, the Vikings will finally return to Woodling Gymnasium next weekend, hosting IUPUI (Friday, September 29) and Wright State (Saturday, September 30) to continue #HLVB play.