Oct. 15, 2005
CLEVELAND - Cleveland State knocked off previously undefeated UIC, 25-30, 30-16, 30-19, 30-21, in Horizon League action on Saturday afternoon in Woodling Gymnasium. The win enabled the Vikings to move into a tie for second place with UW-Milwaukee at 13-6 overall and 5-2 in the league, while UIC falls to 10-12 overall, 6-1 in the league.
The Flames dominated the opening game, out-hitting CSU .432 (20-4-37) to .225 (14-5-40) as Katarina Nedeljkovic led the way seven kills and 12 digs. However, the Vikings controlled play the rest of the match, hitting .312 (41-12-93) in the next three games while limiting UIC to a .067 hitting percentage (32-24-120).
For the match, CSU hit .286 to just .153 for UIC in addition to ripping a season-high 12 aces, including four from Katie Calhoon. The Vikings also held a 10-5 advantage in blocks.
"We settled down and played to our strengths after UIC dictated play in the first game," CSU head coach Chuck Voss said. "We served tough today and Mel [Snyder] did a great job of spreading the ball around to all of our hitters."
Jenna Maddocks led the way for CSU with 13 kills and 13 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Nickole Kennedy and Emily Clark each added nine kills, while Danielle Siefker and Jenni Ramminger rounded out the balanced attack with eight kills apiece. Siefker led the way with six blocks, while Alisa Hatcher paced the Vikings with 17 digs.
"Earlier in the week, we talked to the team about the importance of playing well at home and they obviously responded," Voss noted. "This win today puts us right in the thick of things halfway through the conference season. We need to keep building on this momentum and see where it takes us."
Ambria Springer tallied 14 kills to lead the Flames, while Nedeljkovic added 11 kills, but just four after the first game. Nedeljkovic paced UIC with 17 digs.
Cleveland State continues its six-match homestand with a pair of Horizon League contests next week. The Vikings will host Wright State on Friday, Oct. 21, followed by a contest the next afternoon against Butler. Saturday's match with the Bulldogs is Catholic Youth Organization Day.
