HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Semifinals | Saturday, November 18 | 3:00 p.m. | Woodling Gymnasium
Championship | Sunday, November 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Woodling Gymnasium

HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | CLEVELAND STATE MATCH NOTES 

QUICK SETS
After capturing their third straight Horizon League Regular Season Championship in the regular season finale, the Cleveland State volleyball team will try to win its fifth Horizon League Tournament title, as the Vikings are set to host the 2017 Horizon League Tournament this weekend. The Vikings, who earned the top seed in the upcoming tournament, will begin play with a semifinal contest on Saturday, November 18. The two winners of Saturday's semifinals will then play for the Horizon League title on Sunday, November 19.

ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT…
The Vikings own a 20-7 overall record, and posted a 13-3 mark in Horizon League regular season contests…Cleveland State has won 10 straight and 11 of its last 12 matches…The Vikings enter the tournament as the top seed and will begin play in the semifinals.

HORIZON LEAGUE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS!
With a five-set victory over Green Bay in the regular season finale, the Cleveland State volleyball team clinched the 2017 Horizon League Regular Season Championship. This marks the fifth time that the Vikings have been regular season champs (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016), and the third straight season that the Vikings earned the title. Cleveland State finished the regular season with a 13-3 mark in league action - the second most league wins in program history.

HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT HAS FAMILIAR HOME IN CLEVELAND
This will be the fifth time that CSU has hosted the Horizon League Championship over the last nine years, also doing so during the 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2016 seasons. Over the past 11 years, Cleveland State is one of two league teams to host the tournament multiple times (Milwaukee).

CSU IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
This will be the eighth time under head coach Chuck Voss that the Vikings will enter the Horizon League Tournament as a top-two seed, and the fifth time that CSU will be the No. 1 seed. Over the past 17 years, Cleveland State has advanced to the championship match of the Horizon League Tournament eight times (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) claiming the title during the 2007, 2012, 2015 and 2016 seasons. With their bye into the semifinals this year, the Vikings have now reached the semifinals 13 times, and hold an overall record of 18-13 in Horizon League Championship action.

20 WINS AND COUNTING
With their 3-2 victory against Green Bay last time out, the Vikings notched their eighth 20-win season under head coach Chuck Voss and their 17th 20-win season in program history. Entering the Horizon League Tournament, CSU stands at 20-7 this season, and is the only league team to break the 20-win plateau this year. 

VOSS NAMED #HLVB COACH OF THE YEAR
For the sixth time in his tenure, Cleveland State head coach Chuck Voss was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year earlier this week. Voss picked up coach of the year honors after leading the Vikings to their fifth Horizon League Regular Season title with a 13-3 mark in league play. On the year, Voss has led Cleveland State to a 20-7 record - the eighth 20-win season under his guidance.

FIVE VIKINGS EARN ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
The Vikings were well represented in this year's postseason honors from the Horizon League, as Shannon Grega and Gina Kilner both picked up major awards, and Alexis Middlebrooks, Sara Skeens and Emily DeGeorge all earned all-league accolades. This marks the 11th straight season that a Viking has earned All-League honors, while it is the 11th time out of the last 12 seasons that CSU has had a representative on the All-Freshman Team.

…SHANNON GREGA | SENIOR | LIBERO
Grega was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, along with earning a spot on the All-League First Team. Grega is the first Viking to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors after averaging 4.68 digs per set to lead a CSU defense that has held its opponents to a .196 hitting percentage this season. Grega has tallied 501 total digs on the season - one of just three Vikings all-time to eclipse 500 digs in a single season - and enters the #HLVB Tournament ranked third in the CSU Career Record Book with 1,445 digs.

…GINA KILNER | SENIOR | SETTER
Kilner was named the Horizon League Setter of the Year for the second straight season, while also picking up First Team All-League honors. For the season, Kilner has 1,154 total assists and has been averaging 10.79 assists per set leading the Vikings to a league-best .254 hitting percentage. Earlier this season, Kilner became just the fifth Viking all-time to eclipse the 4,000-assist mark for her career, and currently ranks third in the CSU Career Record Book with 4,353 total helpers.

…ALEXIS MIDDLEBROOKS | SENIOR | MIDDLE HITTER
Middlebrooks picked up All-Horizon League First Team honors for the third straight season, becoming one of seven Vikings to be a three-time all-league honoree. Throughout the season, Middlebrooks has been one of the most efficient offensive threats in the league, averaging 3.13 kills per set on a .338 hitting percentage. Earlier this season, Middlebrooks became the 16th Viking all-time to record 1,000 career kills, and enters the #HLVB Tournament just shy of a spot in the top-10 in the CSU Career Record Book with 1,082 total kills.

…SARA SKEENS | SOPHOMORE | OUTSIDE HITTER
Skeens picked up postseason honors for the second straight season, earning a spot on the Honorable Mention All-League team after averaging a team-best 3.26 kills per set in league matches only. With 286 total kills this year, Skeens has been a major part of a Viking offense that has been tops in the league throughout the season.

…EMILY DeGEORGE | FRESHMAN | OUTSIDE HITTER
DeGeorge was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team after appearing in every set for the Vikings playing as a six-rotation player. In her first season of collegiate volleyball, DeGeorge is averaging 1,76 kills, 2.80 digs and 0.36 blocks per set. DeGeorge ranks second on the team with 300 total digs this year, while the 300 digs also marks a freshman class record in the CSU Record Book.

ROAD WARRIORS TO WOODLING WARRIORS
After beginning the season with 13 straight road matches, the Vikings have had the advantage of playing at home over the last few weeks, and will host the Horizon League Tournament in the friendly confines of Woodling Gymnasium for the third straight season. So far this year the Vikings stand at 7-1 when playing at home, while they own a 30-5 reecord in Woodling Gymnasium over the last three seasons.

HIGH POWERED OFFENSE
Cleveland State enters the 2017 Horizon League Tournament with one of the best offenses in the league, as the Vikings have been tops in the league in all three major offensive statistical categories throughout the season; hitting percentage (.254), kills (13.91) and assists (13.16). So far this season the Vikings have recorded a .250 clip during 15 matches, including a season-high mark of .381 against Indiana State (47-10-97).

GREGA NAMED #HLVB ALL-ACADEMIC
Cleveland State senior Shannon Grega picked up Horizon League All-Academic honors last week, earning the accolade for the second straight season. Grega, a nursing student with a 3.60 GPA, has been named to the Cleveland State Dean's List five times throughout her career, and has earned Athletic Academic honors every year. Grega is on track to graduate next spring and will pursue a job as a pediatric nurse.

KILNER NOTCHES TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Earlier this season, senior setter Gina Kilner recorded the first triple-double of her career, posting 46 assists, 14 digs and 10 kills against IUPUI. Kilner, who is just the fourth Viking to record a triple-double under head coach Chuck Voss, is the second #HLVB player to achieve the feat this season (Jordan Lentz, Oakland) and just one of 28 players nationally.