CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened up its 2021 home slate Monday evening, dropping a 3-1 contest against Milwaukee. The Vikings now stand at 2-1 on the young season.

Match Stats
· Hannah Greene posted a team-high 11 kills on the match, while London Portis added 10.
· Abby Miller led the Viking offense with 35 assists on Cleveland State's 42 kills.
· The Cleveland State defense was led by Emily DeGeorge with 14 digs, while Lindsey Tout added 11.
· As a team, Cleveland State finished with 10 total team blocks, including five from Chelsea Penfield and four from Hannah Greene.

Match Notes
· Monday's match marked the first of an eight-match home schedule for the Vikings this season.
· With her 14 digs against the Panthers, Emily DeGeorge now ranks ninth on the CSU Career Digs List with 1,151 total digs.

The Match
During the opening set, the Vikings were able to gain a quick five-point lead at the 10-5 mark following a Hannah Greene service ace, and then held a sizeable lead until midway through the frame when Milwaukee closed the gap to just one point at 15-14. Cleveland State responded with four straight points though, extending their lead to 19-14 on a Panther error. The Vikings then controlled play throughout the remainder of the set, picking up the first set win on a Hannah Greene kill.

The two teams then played a tightly contested second set, until the Panthers were able to gain a seven-point lead late in the frame at 22-15. Milwaukee then pulled away for the second set victory, knotting the match score at 1-1 heading into the third frame.

During the third set, the two teams traded points over the opening few plays, until the Vikings were able to gain an 11-8 advantage following back-to-back points on a Chelsea Penfield block and Emily DeGeorge kill. Although the Vikings were able to hold this advantage over the next few plays, Milwaukee worked its way back into the set and gained a three-point lead at 18-15 following four straight points to force a CSU timeout. The Panthers then held the advantage for the rest of the frame, picking up a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth and final frame.

Milwaukee was then able to control play throughout the majority of the fourth set, picking up a 25-21 fourth set victory to claim the 3-1 match win.

Up Next
Cleveland State will close out its season series against the Panthers tomorrow (Tuesday, February 2), hosting Milwaukee at 5:00 p.m.