CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team closed out its current three-match homestand Saturday, dropping a heartbreaking five-set match against Oakland.
PDF BOX SCORE: Oakland 3, Cleveland State 2
The Cleveland State offense was led by the trio of Trinniti Hall, Hannah Greene and London Portis, as the trio combined for 40 of CSU's 55 kills on the match. Hall finished with 16 kills, while Greene and Portis both added 12.
Christina Grecol finished with 43 assists on the match, eclipsing the 1,800-assist mark for her career. Grecol finished the weekend with 1,810 career helpers, as one of just nine Vikings all-time to reach the 1,800-assist milestone.
Defensively, the Vikings were led by libero Lindsey Tout who finished with 21 digs for her eighth 20-dig match of the year. Hall added 13 digs for the Vikings, while Christina Grecol posted 12 and Emily DeGeorge added 11.
As a team, the Vikings recorded 11 total blocks, posting 10+ team blocks for the second straight match. Freshman Chelsea Penfield recorded a team-high eight total blocks in her first collegiate match, while Portis added four and Greene added three blocks.
After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings stormed back to pick up wins in the third and fourth frames, forcing a fifth and deciding set in which they pushed Oakland to the limit before dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to the Grizzlies.
Despite trailing 2-0 heading into the intermission, the Vikings battled through the first part of the third frame, gaining a four-point lead at 12-8 following a DeGeorge service ace and an Oakland error. Cleveland State was then able to hold the advantage for the rest of the set, earning the 25-19 set victory on another service ace, this time from Halle Schoen.
The fourth set was much of the same, as the Vikings gained an early lead and then went on to control play throughout the remainder of the set. Midway through, the Vikings posted four straight points to take a 12-5 lead, and then held at least a five-point advantage for the remainder of the set. Cleveland State earned the 25-19 fourth set victory on a Hall kill, to even the match at 2-2.
After forcing a fifth and deciding frame, the Vikings had to battle back from an early deficit, posting a 6-2 run to tie the frame at 7-7 on a DeGeorge kill. The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, until Oakland was able to gain set point at 14-12.
The Vikings then rattled off back-to-back points on a pair of blocks from Penfield, Hall and DeGeorge, knotting the set at 14-14. Although the Vikings were able to fend off two set points, this was as close as they would come, as Oakland posted the final two points of the match to earn the 3-2 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will make its annual trip to Wisconsin, facing Green Bay on Friday, October 25 and Milwaukee on Saturday, October 26.
