CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second consecutive night the Cleveland State volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker, falling to Valparaiso, 3-2. The Vikings now stand at 12-6 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Set scores against Valparaiso were 14-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 15-3.
Maggie Hannon led the Viking offense with 18 kills, while Grace Kauth and Katie Nesbitt each added nine kills. Dayna Roberts and Nikki Holmes each tallied 21 digs to lead the defensive effort, while Kauth added 12. Kelly Kiger had a team-high six blocks, while Roberts tallied a team-high 33 assists.
The Vikings got out to a quick start during the opening set, posting 10 of the first 12 points to gain an eight-point advantage at the 10-2 mark. CSU then controlled play for the remainder of the frame, closing out the set with a pair of kills from Kauth and one from Hannon.
The Crusaders were then able to even the match claiming a 25-19 victory during the second frame.
CSU responded during the third frame, once again earning the advantage early on in the frame and controlling play throughout the rest of the set. After Valparaiso battled its way back to tie the frame at the 12-12 mark the two teams traded points throughout the remainder of the frame until CSU closed the set posting the final five points. During this stretch the Vikings had two kills from Nesbitt and a service ace from Dawn Lingenfelter.
After CSU was able to gain the 2-1 advantage in Saturday's match, Valparaiso battled for a 25-18 victory during the third set and then cruised to a 15-3 victory during the fifth and deciding set.
Cleveland State will return to the road next weekend, traveling to Milwaukee (Oct. 18) and Green Bay (Oct. 19).
