CLEVELAND, Ohio – Behind a career-high performance from Emily DeGeorge, the Cleveland State volleyball team was able to remain perfect in Horizon League play Friday evening, picking up a 3-1 victory over Northern Kentucky. The Vikings now stand at 9-6 overall this season and 3-0 in #HLVB play.
Cleveland State 3, Northern Kentucky 1 PDF Box Score
Entering tonight's match, both teams were undefeated at the top of the league standings, with the Vikings remaining as the lone team in the league to own a perfect record.
DeGeorge tallied her third double-double of the season against the Norse, finishing with 11 kills and a career-high 34 digs. DeGeorge led a Viking defense that held Northern Kentucky to a .149 hitting percentage. Rachael Dohar posted her sixth 20-dig match of the year with 22 against NKU, while Jordan Verbiak finished with 15 and MacKenzie Conner added 12 digs.
Offensively the Vikings were led by Sara Skeens with 18 kills, while Rachel Stover and Trinniti Hall both finished with 12. Christina Grecol recorded 42 assists on the night along with 10 digs, recording her third double-double of the season.
Hannah Greene notched a team-best five blocks on the night, while Stover and Hall both added four.
During the opening set, both teams traded points throughout the majority of the frame, with Cleveland State gaining a 15-12 lead midway through on a Skeens kill. Although the Norse were able to work their way back into the frame, the Vikings were once again able to extend their lead to three points at the 20-17 mark, and then held off another NKU push to earn the 25-22 first set victory on back-to-back kills from Skeens and Hall.
After dropping a tightly contested second set, the Vikings responded with a convincing 25-17 victory in the third set, carrying the momentum into the fourth frame.
During the fourth set, the two teams traded points during the first half of the frame, until Cleveland State was able to gain a 16-14 lead on a Stover kill. Although Northern Kentucky was able to work its way back into the frame, the Vikings held the edge for the rest of the set, closing out the match with five straight points for the 25-20 fourth set victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will look to remain perfect in Horizon League play tomorrow, hosting Wright State at 4:00 p.m.