Oct. 8, 2005
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Cleveland State snapped a three-match losing streak at Green Bay in convincing fasion, sweeping the Phoenix 30-28, 30-28, 30-26 on Saturday afternoon. Trailing 28-22 in the first game, the Vikings rattled off eight straight points to set the tone for the match. With the win, CSU improves to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in the Horizon League, while UW-Green Bay falls to 10-8 and 3-3 in the league.
Nickole Kennedy led the Vikings with 17 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. Jenna Maddocks and Danielle Siefker both added eight kills, while Emily Clark notched a team-best 12 digs.
Jackie Rosen and Jill Smits paced the Phoenix with 17 and 12 kills, respectively.
The difference in the match proved to be offensive execution as CSU hit .197 while limiting UW-Green Bay to just a .140 hitting percentage.
The Phoenix appeared to take control of the first game with a late 8-3 burst to move ahead 28-22. However, Kennedy and Siefker combined on a block and a pair of kills each to spur an unlikely 8-0 run to close out the frame. CSU rallied from a 26-24 deficit in the second game before leading wire-to-wire in the final game.
"Winning on the road is always difficult -- today was a good confidence builder for us," CSU head coach Chuck Voss said. "We were pretty much in control of the match after the comeback in the first game really. Nikki [Kennedy] came up big for us today and I thought our energy level was much better than yesterday."
Cleveland State returns home on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to face Oakland at 7:00 p.m. The contest kicks off a six-match homestand for the Vikings. Call (216) 687-4848 for ticket information.
