Nov. 5, 2011
Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kara Koch became the 14th Viking to reach the 1,000 kill milestone and Amy Grabiec moved into second place on the all-time career digs list, as the Cleveland State volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory over Valparaiso Saturday afternoon. With the victory CSU improves to 18-7 overall and 11-3 in the Horizon League, while the Crusaders fall to 18-12 overall and 9-6 in the league.
With 15 digs against the Crusaders Saturday, Grabiec moved into second place on the CSU all-time career digs list and now has 1,418 on her career. Koch posted a match-high 22 kills against Valparaiso and now has 1,005 on her career to become the 10th Viking under head coach Chuck Voss to reach the milestone.
Set scores against the Crusaders were 22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15.
After dropping the first set, 25-22, the Vikings evened the match in the second frame, taking the 25-20 decision. CSU was able to gain a 17-9 advantage during the second set, but Valparaiso fought back to bring the frame within one point at 20-19. The Vikings recorded the next three points though and put the set away after forcing back-to-back Crusader errors.
CSU and Valpo traded points during the first half of the third set until the Vikings were able to distance themselves at the 14-9 mark with a kill from Jordan Goad and a pair of blocks. CSU would hold at least a three point lead for the rest of the frame, earning the 25-18 victory. The Vikings recorded five of the last six points during the frame, including four kills from Koch.
The Vikings came out strong during the fourth set, earning a 25-15 victory. CSU controlled the frame from the beginning, gaining a five-point lead at 9-4 and held strong for the rest of the frame.
CSU held the Crusaders to a .090 team attack percentage, the lowest of the season, while the Vikings posted a .225 attack percentage as a team.
Goad recorded her second double-double in two matches, as she posted 41 assists and 10 digs, while Koch also added 14 digs. Marie Frease tallied a career-best eight blocks, while Megan Barhorst added four.
The Vikings will close out the regular season next weekend when Loyola and Green Bay come to Cleveland. CSU will host Loyola in a 7:00 p.m. contest on Friday (Nov. 11) and Green Bay in a 4:00 p.m. match on Saturday (Nov. 12).
