MATCH #12
@ IUPUI | Friday, September 27 | Indianapolis, Ind. | 6:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Video
MATCH #13
@ Northern Kentucky | Saturday, September 28 | Highland Heights, Ky. | 4:00 p.m.
Live Stats
QUICK SETS
Following an 11-match non-league schedule, the Cleveland State volleyball team will begin Horizon League play this weekend, traveling to IUPUI and Northern Kentucky for a two-match roadswing. The Vikings will open #HLVB play at IUPUI on Friday, September 27, followed by a match at NKU on Saturday, September 28.
CLEVELAND STATE IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE
The Vikings, who will be playing in their 19th season of Horizon League play, enter the 2019 #HLVB season as the five-time Regular Season champions. Under head coach Chuck Voss, the Vikings own a 169-101 record in regular season Horizon League matches, and have recorded double-digit league wins the last four seasons.
…CLEVELAND STATE IN HORIZON LEAGUE OPENERS
Under head coach Chuck Voss, the Vikings own a 10-9 record in Horizon League openers, and have gone 8-2 over the past 10 seasons. Friday's contest at IUPUI will mark the 12th time that the Vikings will open league play on the road, and the first time that they will face the Jaguars in the #HLVB opener.
VIKINGS TABBED FIFTH IN #HLVB PRESEASON POLL
Last month the Vikings were selected to finish fifth in the Horizon League Preseason poll, collecting 47 points to finish behind Green Bay, Northern Kentucky, UIC, and Oakland. Wright State, Milwaukee, IUPUI, and Youngstown State rounded out the 2019 preseason poll, which is voted on by the league's head coaches.
VIKINGS FACE TOUGH NON-LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Throughout the first part of the 2019 campaign, Cleveland State faced one of its hardest non-league schedules in recent years. The Vikings went up against a pair of top-15 teams, two teams that were receiving votes in the top-25 poll, six teams that made a postseason appearance last year, and five teams that recorded 20+ wins during the 2018 campaign.
POSTSEASON HONOREES RETURN
The 2019 Vikings welcome back four Horizon League postseason honorees, as Trinniti Hall (First Team), Emily DeGeorge (Honorable Mention), Hannah Greene (Honorable Mention), and Christina Grecol (All-Freshman Team) were all honored last fall. DeGeorge enters the 2019 campaign as the only Viking to earn multiple #HLVB postseason honors, as she was also named to the All-Freshman Team in 2017.
GRECOL CRACKS CAREER ASSIST TOP-10 LIST
After averaging 10.08 assists per set through non-league play, sophomore Christina Grecol cracked the Top-10 on the CSU Career Assists List, entering #HLVB play ranked 10th with 1,494 total helpers. Grecol, who ranks second among league players in the category this season, is just 35 assists shy of moving into ninth place on the list.
HALL NAMED GOLDEN VIKING INVITE MVP
Senior Trinniti Hall picked up her third All-Tournament honor of the 2019 campaign last time out, being named the MVP of the Golden Viking Invite. Hall, who combined for 24 kills and 15 blocks, led the Vikings to a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Niagara and Kent State. Hall posted a double-double against the Golden Flashes, recording 13 kills and a career-high 11 blocks.
…GREENE & GRECOL NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Along with Hall, the Cleveland State duo of Hannah Greene and Christina Grecol were named to the Golden Viking All-Tournament Team, Greene picking up her second honor of the season and Grecol earning the accolade for the first time this year. Greene led the Viking offense with 25 total kills on a .595 hitting percentage, while Grecol averaged 12.83 assists/set to lead the Viking offense to a .304 clip on the weekend.
YOUTHFUL VIKINGS
The 2019 edition of the Cleveland State volleyball team features seven true freshmen, marking the highest number of rookies for the Vikings over the last seven seasons. Four of these newcomers have played a significant role for the Vikings so far this season, including defensive specialist Audrey McConihe who has appeared in all but one set for Cleveland State.
VIKING DEFENSE
So far this season the Cleveland State defense has been filled with new faces, as three of CSU's primary passers entered the year with limited or no collegiate experience. Sophomore Lindsey Tout is serving as the Viking libero this season averaging a team-high 4.43 digs per set, while freshmen Audrey McConihe (2.54 digs/set) and Julia Piccolino (2.08 digs/set) have appeared in all but two sets as part of the CSU defense. This youthful trio is joined by junior Emily DeGeorge, who enters the weekend averaging 3.40 digs per set as a six rotation player.
…DeGEORGE CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER DIGS
Entering the 2019 campaign, Emily DeGeorge is closing in on the 1,000-dig mark for her career, standing at 898 after the first four weeks of the season. DeGeorge, who set a CSU freshman class record with 325 digs as a rookie, is averaging 3.40 digs per set this year and has posted a pair of 20-dig performances. DeGeorge would become the 20th Viking to reach the 1,000-dig plateau, and would make 2019 the fifth straight year that a Viking has joined the 1K dig club.
HEAD COACH CHUCK VOSS
Chuck Voss is in his 20th season at the helm of the Vikings, and owns a 358-222 (.617) overall record at Cleveland State. Under Voss the Vikings have recorded 16 winning seasons, including 10 straight entering the 2019 season. Cleveland State has eclipsed the 20-win mark eight times since Voss took over the program, and has captured Horizon League Tournament titles five times (2007, 2012, 2015, 2016 & 2017) under his guidance. During the 2016 season Voss became the all-time winningest coach in program history, and then last season became the only active Horizon League coach to reach the 350-win mark at their current school.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will return home for a pair of Horizon League matches next weekend, hosting Milwaukee on Friday, October 4 and Green Bay on Saturday, October 5.