CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team closed out the non-league portion of its schedule Friday, picking up a pair of sweeps against Niagara and Kent State in the 2019 home opener.
CSU CAREER ASSIST TOP-10
Following a 41-assist performance against Niagara and a 36-assist effort against Kent State, sophomore Christina Grecol earned a spot on the top-10 list in the CSU Career Record Book, finishing the day ranked 10th with 1,494 career helpers.
Cleveland State 3, Niagara 0: PDF BOX SCORE
The Vikings opened their final weekend of non-league play with the second sweep of the season, picking up a 3-0 victory over Niagara to snap a four-match losing skid.
Offensively, the Vikings were led by Trinniti Hall with 11 kills and Hannah Greene with 10 kills, while London Portis and Lydia Latimer both added nine.
Christina Grecol and Lindsey Tout both finished with 11 digs on the match to lead the defense, while Hall posted a team-best four blocks.
Grecol also recorded 41 assists, notching her fourth double-double of the season.
During the opening set the Vikings were able to jump out to a quick 6-2 lead, and then extended their lead after posting five straight points gaining an 11-3 advantage. Cleveland State went on to control the remainder of the frame, closing out the set with a Latimer kill.
Although the second set was much tighter, the Vikings were able to gain the 2-0 match advantage after claiming the frame on back-to-back kills from Keanna Avery and Hall.
The Vikings were able to carry their momentum into the third set then, as Cleveland State was able to gain another early advantage at the 8-3 mark following three straight kills and a Niagara error. Cleveland State was able to hold a sizeable lead for the rest of the frame, and clinched the match with a Greene kill.
Cleveland State 3, Kent State 0: PDF BOX SCORE
The Vikings continued their momentum in the second match of the day, as they picked up of a 3-0 sweep over Kent State.
Trinniti Hall and Hannah Greene both recorded double-digit kills to lead the Viking offense, Greene with 15 and Hall with 13.
Christina Grecol posted 36 assists on the match, helping the Vikings to a .248 hitting percentage on the match.
Defensively, Emily DeGeorge posted a team-high 12 digs, while Lindsey Tout recorded 11.
As a team, the Vikings recorded 14 total blocks, including a career-high 11 from Hall. DeGeorge and Grecol both added five blocks each for the Vikings.
During the opening set, the Vikings were able to distance themselves midway through the frame when they posted three straight points to gain an 18-11 advantage following a DeGeorge and Hall block.
Cleveland State was then able to control the rest of the frame, and put the set away with three straight points that ended with a DeGeorge service ace.
The second set was much of the same, as the Vikings were able to distance themselves once again midway through the frame, gaining a 20-13 lead following a Hall kill and a pair of Lydia Latimer and Hall blocks. Cleveland State then went on to earn the 25-17 second set victory after Greene posted three kills over the final four points, earning a 2-0 match lead heading into the third frame.
Once again Cleveland State was able to gain a sizeable lead midway through the third set, gaining an 18-10 advantage after forcing Kent State into three straight errors. The Vikings were then able to control play throughout the rest of the frame, clinching the 3-0 sweep with back-to-back kills from London Portis and Greene.
Up Next
Cleveland State will begin Horizon League play next weekend, traveling to IUPUI on Friday, September 27 and Northern Kentucky on Saturday, September 28.
