Oct. 22, 2005
CLEVELAND - Cleveland State extended its school-record Horizon League winning streak to five matches with a 30-24, 30-26, 30-27 sweep of Butler in Woodling Gymnasium. The Vikings held onto a share of first place in the league at 7-2 (15-6 overall), and will be tied with the winner of Saturday night's match pitting UW-Milwaukee and UIC, which are both 6-2. The Bulldogs fall to 9-12 overall and 4-5 in the league.
CSU extended its overall winning streak to six matches and has now won eight of its last nine contests. In addition, the seven conference victories are a new school mark, surpassing the six from last season. The win also enabled the Vikings to snap a five-match losing streak against the Bulldogs, who had won 10 of the last 11 meetings and 20 of 24 all-time.
The Vikings dominated the contest, trailing just once early in each game and never later than 8-7 in the second frame. CSU hit .302 (56-18-126) for the match while limiting Butler to just a .190 hitting percentage (40-20-126).
"The stats looked great, but I felt like we were just a little bit off," CSU head coach Chuck Voss pointed out. "Right now we're playing very good, but we need to develop more of a killer instinct to become a great team."
Nickole Kennedy led the Vikings with 15 kills, a .464 hitting percentage and five blocks. Jenna Maddocks tallied 14 kills, while Emily Clark added 11 kills and seven digs. Alisa Hatcher recorded a match-high 17 digs and a pair of aces.
"Our outsides played great all weekend," Voss said. "Jenna and Emily really stepped up for us. This is an exciting time for the team -- I hope we can take advantage of the position we've put ourselves in."
Susana Henry paced Butler with 11 kills, while Megan Knightly notched 14 digs.
The Vikings will next host Bowling Green in non-league action on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m. CSU will attempt to close out its current homestand with a perfect 6-0 mark. Call (216) 687-4848 for ticket information.
