CHICAGO, Ill. – Maggie Hannon posted a team-high 16 kills, including a pair of kills during a crucial stretch in the fourth set to lead the Cleveland State volleyball team to a 3-1 victory at UIC Saturday afternoon. With the win the Vikings improve to 14-11 and 4-8 in Horizon League play, while the Flames fall to 8-20 (3-9).
Set scores against the Flames were 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22.
Along with Hannon, the Vikings had three other players with double-digit kills, including Kerry Winchester who notched 14 – her first 10-plus kill match since the beginning of league play. Grace Kauth and Christina Toth each tallied 10 kills for the Vikings, while Dayna Roberts and Annie Djukic captained the offense – Djukic with 28 assists and Roberts with 22 helpers.
Djukic and Nikki Holmes led the Cleveland State defense each posting 13 digs, while Winchester and Kauth each added seven digs. Kelly Kiger had a team-high seven blocks with Hannon adding five.
The Vikings were able to gain a slight advantage early on in the first set, and controlled play for the remainder of the frame. After UIC tied the set at the 17-17 and 18-18 marks, Cleveland State was able to tally two straight points on a Toth kill and a Kauth service ace to gain a lead (20-18) that they would hold for the rest of the frame. The Vikings closed out the set with three straight points, including back-to-back Hannon kills for the 25-21 first set victory.
The second set was much like the first, as the Vikings held a slight lead for the majority of the frame, but didn't pull away from the Flames until the final points of the set. After the set was tied for the sixth time at the 14-14 mark, CSU rattled off a 5-0 run including kills from Hannon, Nesbitt and Winchester to gain a five-point advantage (19-14) which they would go on to hold for the rest of the frame. The Flames were able to stay in the set though, and even tied the frame once again at 23-23, but CSU held strong, closing the frame with a Toth kill and a Flame error for the 25-23 second set victory.
After letting the third set slip away, the Vikings were about to do the same during the fourth set when Hannon spurred a five-point comeback to give CSU its first lead of the frame at the 19-17 mark. During this stretch, CSU went on a 7-0 run, getting points off of kills from Winchester, Hannon and Kauth and blocks from Katie Nesbitt and Hannon. The Vikings were then able to keep a slight advantage for the next six points until UIC was able to gain a one-point lead at the 22-21 mark. This lead wouldn't last long though, as the Vikings rebounded with four straight points to end the frame, including two kills from Winchester and one from Toth.
The Vikings will close out the regular season next weekend, hosting Green Bay (Friday, Nov. 15) and Milwaukee (Saturday, Nov. 16). Friday's contest will start at 7:00 p.m., while Saturday's Senior Day match is set for a 4:00 p.m. start.
