HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Cleveland State volleyball team wrapped up its third week of the 2021 season Tuesday, dropping a hard fought five-set match at Northern Kentucky. The Vikings finished the third week of Horizon League play with an even 3-3 record on the year.
Match Stats
• Three Vikings finished the match with double-digit kills, led by London Portis with 16. Emily DeGeorge and Peyton Bloomer both chipped in 12 kills.
• Abby Miller posted 45 assists on Cleveland State's 54 kills.
• As a team, the Vikings recorded seven service aces, including three from Abby Miller and two from Audrey McConihe.
• Four Vikings finished with double-digit digs to lead the Viking defense, including 22 from Emily DeGeorge. Caroline Kucia added 14, Lindsey Tout posted 11 and Abby Miller chipped in 10 digs.
• Cleveland State recorded 11.0 total team blocks on the match, including nine from Chelsea Penfield and four from Abby Miller.
Match Notes
• After notching her first 20-dig match of the season, Emily DeGeorge moved into eighth place in the CSU Career Record Book with 1,188 total digs.
• With her team-high 16 kills against the Norse, London Portis notched a career-high and has now recorded double-digit kills in three matches this season.
• Peyton Bloomer posted a career-high with her 12 kills on the day.
• With her team-high nine total blocks, Chelsea Penfield posted a career-high.
• Freshman Caroline Kucia served as Cleveland State's libero for the first time this season, finishing with a season-high 14 digs.
• Abby Miller (45 assists & 10 digs) and Emily DeGeorge (12 kills & 22 digs) both notched double-doubles on the match, Miller marking her third of the season and DeGeorge posting her first of the year.
The Match
During the opening set, the Vikings were able to get out to an early lead, gaining an 8-2 advantage on an Audrey McConihe service ace following an NKU timeout. The Vikings were then able to extend their lead midway through the frame following four straight points, earning a 16-7 edge on another service ace, this time from Abby Miller.
Cleveland State held off an NKU run late in the set, posting the final three points of the frame to earn a 25-15 first set victory on a pair of Norse errors and a Miller kill.
During the second set, the two teams traded points until the Vikings were able to gain a four-point lead at 10-6, following back-to-back kills from London Portis and Peyton Bloomer that forced an early Norse timeout. NKU was able to work its way back into the frame over the next few plays, and even gained a two-point lead at the 18-16 mark, but the Vikings responded with a kill from Bloomer and a block from Miller and Chelsea Penfield to tie the set at 18-18.
After trading points once again, the Vikings were finally able to earn a two-point lead at the 22-20 mark following a pair of kills from London Portis, and then went on to hold this lead for the remainder of the frame, earning the 25-23 second set victory on a Norse error.
After dropping the next two sets, the Vikings were forced to play a fifth a deciding set for the first time during the 2021 season.
NKU was able to get out to the early advantage at the 7-4 mark during the final frame, and then went on to control play until late in the set when the Norse held a 14-11 advantage. Although the Vikings were able to hold off a pair of match points with a Bloomer kill and a Miller and Penfield block, the Norse would eventually pick up the 15-13 fifth set victory to clinch the match.
Up Next
Cleveland State will return home for a two-match series against Oakland next week, hosting the Grizzlies on Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16.
