GAME #1
Cleveland State vs. ETSU
Tuesday, November 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will officially kick off the 2021-22 season this week, hosting ETSU in a 6:00 p.m. contest on Tuesday, November 9. The Vikings will open their 49th season of basketball, and their fourth under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.

A WIN ON TUESDAY WOULD…
Keep the Vikings perfect against ETSU in program history…Put Cleveland State at 2-2 in season openers under head coach Chris Kielsmeier…Mark the eighth straight win for the Vikings in the Wolstein Center dating back to January 23 of last season.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/ETSU SERIES
Tuesday's game will be just the second meeting between the two teams, and the first at the Wolstein Center. In the first matchup, Cleveland State picked up a 62-54 victory during the 2019-20 campaign as part of the Vikings' record-setting 11-game win streak. 

SCOUTING THE BUCS
ETSU enters the 2021-22 season under the direction of first-year head coach Simon Harris, and returns seven players from last year's team that reached the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament…ETSU was picked to finish seventh in the SoCon Preseason Poll…The Bucs return their top-two scorers from last season in Carly Hooks (9.9 ppg) and Jakhyia Davis (9.5 ppg), both of whom earned spots on the SoCon All-Freshman Team last year…Tuesday's game will be the first of a 14-game non-league slate for ETSU, and the first of two in the state of Ohio as the Bucs will also take on Bowling Green (Nov. 11).

REIGNING WBI CHAMPIONS
The Vikings will start the 2021-22 campaign as the reigning WBI Champions, after capturing the program's first-ever postseason title last season. Cleveland State picked up three wins over three days to earn the championship, knocking off Manhattan, Stetson and Portland en route to the title. 

…PRE-GAME BANNER RAISING
Prior to Tuesday's game against ETSU, Cleveland State will hold a pre-game WBI Championship banner unveiling, honoring the 2020-21 team for capturing the first-ever postseason title. The ceremony is slated to begin at 5:40 p.m.

HOME SWEET HOME
During the 2021-22 season the Vikings will play 17 of their 29 regular season games in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center - including six of their seven non-league contests. Cleveland State will start the season with six straight home games, marking the first time in program history that the Vikings will spend the entire month of November at home. 

THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns 10 letterwinners from last season's WBI Championship squad, including the senior quartet of Nadia Dumas, Isabella Geraci, Isabelle Gradwell, and Barbara Zieniewska. This returning core will be joined by four transfers and one true freshman for the upcoming season, giving head coach Chris Kielsmeier a well-rounded roster for the 2021-22 campaign. 

…HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of fourth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2021-22 campaign, who owns a 45-40 record at Cleveland State and a 461-156 overall record in 21 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to the 2018-19 season, notched his 450th career win last year in a 60-48 victory over Green Bay, becoming just the second active #HLWBB coach to reach the milestone. 

CLEVELAND STATE TABBED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Last month the Vikings were tabbed to finish sixth in the  Horizon League Preseason Poll - picking up 78 points. Last season, the Vikings finished sixth in the league standings with an 8-8 #HLWBB record, and advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament for the second straight year. IUPUI was picked as the preseason favorite, while Milwaukee, Green Bay, Northern Kentucky, and Oakland rounded out the top five.

LEO NAMED #HLWBB PRESEASON SECOND TEAM
After being named the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman last season, Destiny Leo earned a spot on the #HLWBB Preseason Second Team last month, becoming the fourth Viking to earn a spot on a preseason team during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure. As a freshman, Leo averaged 11.4 points per game to rank 13th among league players, while she was tops in the #HLWBB standings with 51 total three-pointers on the season.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will continue the 2021-22 campaign with a pair of games this weekend, hosting St. Bonaventure on Saturday, November 13 and Quincy on Sunday, November 14.