CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team picked up its third straight win Friday evening, earning a 3-2 victory over UIC in the annual Volley For The Cure match. The five-set win improved Cleveland State to 13-7 overall this season and 6-3 in league play.
Cleveland State vs. UIC Box Score
Match Stats
· Alexis Middlebrooks tallied a team-best 19 kills, while Sara Skeens added 14.
· Gina Kilner recorded 46 assists on the match.
· Shannon Grega had a team-best 19 digs, while Gina Kilner added 15 and Jordan Verbiak notched 11.
· As a team, the Vikings posted 13.5 total blocks, including seven from Alexis Middlebrooks.
· Emily DeGeorge and Gina Kilner both added four blocks each, while Hannah Greene and Rachel Stover both added three.
· Rachael Dohar and Alexis Middlebrooks both recorded two service aces, while Emily DeGeorge added one.
Match Notes
· Friday's victory marked Cleveland State's second five-set win in as many matches, and the third of the year.
·The Vikings have now won three straight matches and four of their last five.
· Friday's match served as Cleveland State's annual Volley For The Cure match, with the Vikings teaming up with CSU Health and Wellness and CSU CAB in the fight against cancer.
· Gina Kilner tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 46 assists and 15 digs.
1,000 Career Kills
· With her 19-kill performance against the Flames Friday evening, senior Alexis Middlebrooks eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark for her career, ending the match with 1,002 total kills. Middlebrooks is the 16th Viking all-time to achieve the feat, and the first since the 2015 season.
4,000 Career Assists
· Following 46 assists against UIC, senior Gina Kilner eclipsed the 4,000-assist mark for her career, finishing the contest with 4,040 career assists. Kilner is just the fifth Viking all-time to reach 4,000 career assists and is now just 36 assists shy of moving up in the CSU Career Record Book.
The Match
After getting out a slow start during the opening set, Cleveland State was able to distance itself midway through the frame, as the Vikings gained a 13-7 advantage following a UIC error and a Hannah Greene block and kill. The Vikings were then able to hold a sizeable advantage for the rest of the frame, and closed out the set on back-to-back points from an Alexis Middlebrooks kill and a Middlebrooks/Gina Kilner block.
The second set was much tighter throughout the majority of the frame, with both teams trading points until the end of the set. After the set was tied at 16-16, Cleveland State rattled off three straight points on a pair of kills from Sara Skeens and Emily DeGeorge and a UIC error, gaining a three-point advantage that they would go on to hold for the rest of the frame. The Vikings were once again able to post back-to-back points to close out the set, as DeGeorge posted another kill, with a Middlebrooks and Kilner block sealing the set victory.
After dropping the next two sets, the Vikings came out strong during the deciding fifth set. Cleveland State posted the first point of the frame on a Middlebrooks kill and then carried that momentum throughout the rest of the frame. The Vikings were able to gain a six-point lead at the 12-6 mark following four straight points, and then closed out the frame on yet another Middlebrooks kill for the five-set victory.
Up Next
· Cleveland State will host Milwaukee at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, October 21), continuing the first weekend of the second half of #HLVB play.
