CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the third straight season, top-seeded Cleveland State captured the Horizon League Volleyball championship, winning its fifth title in program history with a 3-0 sweep of No. 4 Green Bay. With the championship match victory, the Vikings are now 22-7 this season, and will be making their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament
Cleveland State vs. Green Bay Box Score
2017 Horizon League Champions
• The Cleveland State volleyball team captured its fifth Horizon League Tournament title under head coach Chuck Voss, and its third consecutive crown.
• 2017 marked the third straight season that the Vikings also captured the Regular Season title, claiming both the regular season and tournament championships.
• This marked the ninth time that the Vikings advanced to the championship match of the tournament, as the Vikings now own a 20-13 record in league tournament play.
Horizon League All-Tournament Honors
• Sara Skeens was named the Tournament MVP after posting a team-high 30 kills and averaging 4.29 kills per set. Skeens recorded a career-high 20 kills against Northern Kentucky in the semifinals, and then tallied 10 kills against Green Bay in the championship match.
• Gina Kilner earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after leading the Vikings to a .270 hitting percentage as a team on the weekend after averaging 11.86 assists per set. Kilner recorded 50 helpers against NKU and then posted 33 against Green Bay, while also tallying 11 kills and 21 digs on the weekend.
• Trinniti Hall was also named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.43 kills per set on a .513 hitting percentage. Hall posted 16 kills and eight total blocks against the Norse in the semifinals, and then posted eight kills and two blocks against Green Bay in the championship.
Horizon League Championship Match Stats
• Sara Skeens led the Viking offense with 10 kills, while Alexis Middlebrooks added nine, and Rachel Stover and Trinniti Hall both added eight.
• Shannon Grega recorded 12 digs to lead the Viking defense, while Jordan Verbiak and Emily DeGeorge both added six.
• Gina Kilner recorded 33 assists on the match and led Cleveland State to a .288 hitting percentage.
• As a team, the Vikings recorded 10.0 total blocks, including six from Alexis Middlebrooks and three from Emily DeGeorge and Sara Skeens.
Horizon League Championship Match Notes
• The Vikings enter the NCAA Tournament on a 12-match winstreak.
• Cleveland State is just the second team in Horizon League history to win three straight #HLVB Tournament titles, and the first to do so since the 1994 season.
• Cleveland State is now one of just three teams in Horizon League history to have captured five tournament titles (Milwaukee & Loyola).
• The 2017 #HLVB Tournament title marked the fifth in program history, and the fourth in the last six seasons.
CSU Career Record Book
• With her five block assists in the championship match, Alexis Middlebrooks became the fourth Viking all-time to eclipse 400 block assists for their career, finishing with 404.
• After recording one solo block against the Phoenix in the title match, Alexis Middlebrooks cracked the top-10 in the CSU Career Record Book with 52 total solo blocks on her career.
NCAA Tournament Selection Show
• The Vikings will find out where they will be playing in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, November 26. The NCAA Selection Show will be aired live on ESPNU at 9:00 p.m.
• Check back to CSUVikings.com for updates on a NCAA Tournament Selection Show Watch Party.
