Nov. 22, 2008
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Amy Benz and Beth Greulich combined for 29 kills, hitting a combined .540, to lead sixth-seeded Cleveland State to a thrilling 3-2 win over second-seeded Valparaiso in the Horizon League Championship semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Woodling Gym.
The Vikings, who defeated Valparaiso in the league title match last season, advance to the championship match and will play top-seeded Milwaukee (22-8) on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in Woodling Gym. The Panthers earned a five-set win over fifth-seeded Butler in Saturday's first semifinal.
CSU, which defeated third-seeded Wright State, 3-0, in the quarterfinals on Friday night, improved to 10-18 overall, while Valparaiso fell to 24-7. The Crusaders had won 13 straight matches entering the semifinal round.
"This was a great volleyball match and a battle between two great teams," head coach Chuck Voss said. "Valpo is a well-coached team with a lot of talent and it was a shame that anyone had to lose a match like this. Both teams made big plays at key points tonight.
"This is the level of volleyball that I felt we have been capable of playing all season. I think we have really gotten into a nice groove offensively over the last few weeks and have been consistently good on defense.
"One of the biggest differences over the last few weeks has been our ability to stay focused and maintain a high level of intensity. That has allowed us to win several close matches and sets that we were not winning earlier this season. "
Benz's 16 kills tied her for match-high honors, but she didn't commit an error in 28 attempts (.571), while Greulich had just two errors in 22 attempts (.500). Jenni Ramminger added 11 kills, while Kayla Lefeld had nine kills and nine digs. Liz Fazio had 12 kills.
Jordan Bateman finished with 20 digs, while Jordan Goad totaled 58 assists, nine digs and four kills.
CSU fell behind in the first set, 12-8, forcing Voss to use his first timeout of the set. The Vikings rallied back to tie the set at 16-16, but could not take a lead until a block assist by Benz and Greulich gave CSU a 25-24 lead. Maggie Bonomini followed with a service ace to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
Set two was close during the first part as it remained tied at 11-11 following a Valpo attack error. From there, the Crusaders went on an 8-2 run to assume a 19-13 lead and even the match at two sets apiece.
A pair of kills from Jill Meyer and one from Val Bollenbacher gave Valpo a quick 3-1 lead in the third set, but the Vikings scored three straight points to take a 4-3 lead. With the set knotted at 12-12, the teams traded points until a Valpo attack error and a Ramminger service ace gave CSU a 21-19 advantage. CSU pushed the lead to 24-21, but two straight Crusader points brought CSU's lead back to 24-23.
But the Vikings went right back to Benz and she responded with a kill to give CSU the set.
Facing elimination, Valparaiso hung tough throughout the fourth set and would go on a 5-2 run to turn a one point advantage (15-14) into a 20-16 lead. However, the Vikings battled all the way back with a 7-4 run to pull within 24-23 before a Meyer kill evened the match at two sets apiece.
A service error by Angie Porche gave the Vikings a quick 1-0 lead in the deciding set, but Valpo responded with a 6-2 run to take a 6-3 lead on a Porche kill. But CSU hung tough and came back to tie the set at 10-10. The teams traded points to make it 11-11 before CSU ended the match with four straight points.
Ramminger started the run with a kill and Lefeld followed with a service ace. Following a Fazio kill, Lefeld ended the match with another ace.
"It feels good to be back in the championship match, but we can't lose our focus," Voss said. "We know that we have to come out tomorrow and play like we are capable of against Milwaukee and the rest will take care of itself."
Proche had 16 kills and 11 digs to lead Valpo, while Allison Sears and Bollenbacher had 16 kills each. Kim Bukowski handed out 56 assists, while Brittany Malicoat registered a match-best 23 digs.
