MILWAUKEE, Wis. – For the 10th straight season the Cleveland State volleyball team will be playing in the Horizon League semifinals, as the Vikings earned a 3-1 victory over No. 3 seed Oakland in a first round contest. Cleveland State, who entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed, will now face top-seeded Milwaukee tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 23) at 5:30 p.m. EST.
The Vikings (16-12) had two players post double-digit kills against Oakland - Christina Toth who tied her career-high with 14 and Grace Kauth who tallied 11. Kerry Winchester and Maggie Hannon each added nine kills for the Vikings. The CSU defense was led by four players in double-digits – Nikki Holmes (22), Kauth (14), Winchester (13), and Dayna Roberts (10). Annie Djukic and Roberts split setting duties, Djukic with 24 helpers and Roberts with 20.
Set scores against the Grizzlies were 25-20, 22-25, 28-26, 25-20.
During the opening set, CSU was able to get out to a quick 4-0 lead with a pair of Oakland errors, a Kauth kill and a Holmes service ace. The Vikings then held the lead for the remainder of the set, holding off a tough OU team. CSU was able to hold its four-point lead early on, gaining an 8-4 advantage with back-to-back kills from Winchester and Roberts. The Vikings were then able to extend their lead at 17-12, with an Oakland error, and added to it two points later with a Kelly Kiger kill. After Oakland came within one point at 23-22, Cleveland State was able to close out the frame with two straight points, capitalizing on Oakland misplays.
After dropping the second set, the Vikings stayed strong during the third frame, earning a come-from-behind victory. The two teams traded points throughout the start of the frame, until Oakland gained control with a 5-1 run to put the score at 19-15. The Vikings were able to climb their way back in the match though, and held off six Oakland set-points during the final stretch of the frame. CSU got four straight points to tie the score at 24-24 on a trio of Oakland errors and block from Toth and Kiger, and traded points over the next four plays, before finally putting the frame away with kills from Winchester and Aaliyah Slappy.
During the fourth and final frame, the two teams traded points throughout the first part of the set until Cleveland State went on a 7-2 run to gain a 19-12 advantage. With the momentum on their side, the Vikings were eventually able to close out the set on a Toth kill – her 14th of the match and sixth of the set.
Tomorrow's semifinal match will have live stats and live video, with links available on the volleyball schedule page on CSUVikings.com.
