BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened the 2013 season Friday, splitting their opening matches at the Golden Griffin Invitational. The Vikings opened the day with a three-set victory over Hartford, and then fell to North Carolina State, 3-0 in the final match of the day. The Vikings will conclude play at the Golden Griffin Invitational tomorrow, facing Eastern Michigan and Canisius.
Set scores against Hartford were; 28-26, 25-20, 25-13.
Set scores against North Carolina State were; 18-25, 20-25, 17-25.
For the day, Cleveland State was led offensively by freshman Grace Kauth who combined for 26 kills in the two matches, while Kerry Winchester posted a .344 hitting percentage with 12 kills. Dayna Roberts tallied 44 assists on the day, while Ally Beck posted 33 digs and Nikki Holmes added 25 digs in the two matches.
Against Hartford, the Vikings earned a come-from-behind 28-26 victory in the opening set, then pulled out a 25-20 victory in set two and cruised to a 25-13 win in the final frame. Kauth led Cleveland State with a match-high 15 kills in her collegiate debut, while Maggie Hannon added seven and Winchester posted six.
Roberts tallied 28 assists and 10 digs against the Hawks for her first double-double of the year, while Ally Beck posted a career-high 23 digs. Hannon and Kelly Kiger each recorded three blocks in the first match of the day, while Kauth and Makara Scruggs each notched two.
The Vikings then dropped a tough contest to North Carolina State in Friday's finale, led offensively once again by Kauth who posted 11 kills. Winchester matched her performance from earlier in the day with six kills, while Hannon and Christina Toth each posted four. Holmes led the CSU defense against North Carolina State with a career-high 21 digs, while Beck added 10.
Cleveland State will open play at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 31) against Eastern Michigan, and will then face Canisius at 6:00 p.m. Live Stats and Subscription Video links for both matches are available on the Cleveland State volleyball schedule page.
