FAIRBORN, Ohio – Behind career-high performances from Kelly Kiger and Katie Nesbitt the Cleveland State volleyball team picked up its first Horizon League victory of the season Friday, notching a 3-1 win at Wright State. The Vikings are now 11-4 overall this season and 1-1 in league play, while Wright State falls to 6-14 (0-3).
Set scores against the Raiders were; 26-28, 25-19, 25-25, 25-18.
Kiger led the Vikings with a career-high 15 kills along with a team-best six blocks, while Nesbitt recorded a personal-best 11 kills. Kerry Winchester also notched double-digit kills against the Raiders, notching 12. Nikki Holmes tallied a team-high 18 digs to lead the Viking defense, while Grace Kauth posted 14 digs and Dayna Roberts added 12. Roberts also notched 20 assists – marking her fifth double-double of the season.
After dropping the first set, the Vikings battled back to sweep the next three frames to earn the 3-1 victory.
In the second frame CSU jumped out to a 7-3 lead on a Kauth kill, forcing a Wright State timeout and would hold the advantage for the rest of the set. After the Raiders came within two points at the 12-10 mark, the Vikings tallied five of the next six points with two kills from Winchester and one from Kiger to extend their lead to 17-11. CSU then held a steady lead for the rest of the frame, putting the set away with a Kiger kill – her fourth of the set.
During the third set, the Vikings had to overcome an early deficit, gaining their first lead of the frame at 6-4 following back-to-back Annie Djukic service aces. The Vikings were able to extend their lead at the 12-8 mark with a pair of kills from Kiger and Nesbitt, and quickly went on a six-point run, gaining an eight-point lead at 18-10. From here, CSU cruised to a 10-point victory, ending the set on a Nesbitt kill.
The fourth and final set was much like the second, as CSU was able to jump out to an early lead and hold the advantage for the rest of the frame. After gaining a six-point lead at the 14-8 mark on a WSU error, Cleveland State was able hold at least a four-point advantage for the remainder of the frame, and closed the set on a 4-1 run with two kills from Winchester and one from Maggie Hannon.
The Vikings will close out their nine-match roadswing tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 5) at Oakland, facing the Golden Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. Links for live stats and live video are available on the volleyball schedule page on CSUVikings.com.
