CLEVELAND, Ohio – Following a thrilling five-set victory over UC Irvine Saturday evening, the Cleveland State volleyball team claimed the CSU Invitational Tournament title. The Vikings ended the weekend with a 2-1 record and currently stand at 5-2 this season. Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Vikings marked UC Irvine's first loss of the season, as they are now 5-1 following play this weekend.
After claiming the Invitational title, the Vikings had two representatives on the All-Tournament Team, including MVP Ally Beck who notched 31 kills, 23 digs and seven blocks on the weekend. Joining Beck on the All-Tournament Team was Christina Toth, who added 24 kills, 12 digs and eight blocks.
Set scores against UC Irvine were; 25-19, 20-25, 28-26, 16-25, 15-12.
The Vikings were able to jump out to a five-point lead early in the first set, gaining a 10-5 advantage after a pair of Grace Kauth service aces and kills from Aaliyah Slappy and Beck. The Vikings were then able to hold at least a five-point lead until midway through the first frame when the Anteaters started to make a comeback and closed the frame to within three points at 15-12.
Back-to-back kills from Kauth and Slappy once again gave the Vikings a five-point advantage at 17-12, and CSU was able to fend off UC Irvine for the remainder of the set, closing the frame on an Anteater error.
After dropping the second set, Cleveland State had to battle for every point during the third frame, as neither team was able to gain more than a four-point advantage. After trading points throughout the first half of the frame, CSU was able to gain the advantage, and hold the lead, until the end of the frame when UC Irvine earned two set points that the Vikings were able to fight off. CSU was finally able to post back-to-back points and close the frame with a UC Irvine attack error and another Beck kill for the 28-26 set win.
The Anteaters were then able to win the fourth frame, forcing a fifth and deciding set. During the final frame, the Vikings raced out to a 4-1 lead with kills from Toth, Kauth and Beck and were able to hold the advantage for the remainder of the frame. The Anteaters closed the gap to one point at 9-8, but a Kerry Winchester kill and a pair of UC Irvine errors gave the Vikings a 12-8 lead.
UC Irvine kept the pressure on the Vikings, once again closing the gap to one (13-12), but back-to-back kills from Toth and Slappy gave CSU the 15-12 victory.
Beck led the Viking offense against UC Irvine, notching 14 kills, while Kauth posted 13 and Toth added nine. Annie Djukic had a team-high 15 digs, while Kelly Kiger recorded a team-high six blocks.
CSU's first match on Saturday came against IPFW, as the Mastodons earned a 3-1 victory. Set scores against IPFW were; 17-25, 27-29, 25-17, 21-25.
Kauth and Winchester both notched a team-high 13 kills against IPFW, while Toth tallied 10 and Beck added nine. Nikki Holmes posted a team-high 14 digs, while Kiger marked a team-high five blocks.
The Vikings will continue the 2013 season next weekend when they travel to Cincinnati for the UC Invitational II. CSU's first match of the weekend will be against the host Bearcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.
