MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened play at the Eagle Challenge on Friday, splitting its matches against Radford and Morehead State. The Vikings opened the day with a 3-1 victory over Radford, before dropping a hard-fought five-set match against the host Eagles.
CLEVELAND STATE 3, RADFORD 1 | BOX SCORE
In their opening match, the Vikings dominated the first two sets against Radford, before finally capturing a four-set victory over the Highlanders. With the win, the Vikings are now 4-0 all-time against Radford.
Peyton Bloomer led the Viking offense with 12 total kills, while Abby Miller and Madalynn Butler both chipped in nine. Sarah DeGeorge led the Viking defense with 18 digs on the match, while Audrey McConihe posted 16.
As a team, the Vikings recorded 11 total service aces, including three from Miller and Keanna Avery.
During the opening set, the Vikings raced out to an 11-3 lead following a six-point run that was capped off by a pair of kills from Bloomer and Erica Kostelac. Cleveland State then extended its lead to 17-8 on a Chelsea Penfield kill, and held the advantage for the remainder of the frame for the 25-18 first set victory.
The second set was much of the same, as the Vikings gained a sizeable lead midway through the frame at 15-7 following a pair of Radford errors and a DeGeorge kill. The Vikings then held Radford to just four more points during the set, as Cleveland State earned a 25-11 second set victory after posting the final five points.
After dropping the third set, the Vikings rebounded during the fourth frame, once again distancing themselves at the midway point with a pair of kills from Miller and Avery and a Penfield and Miller block that put the score at 15-11. The Vikings were then able to gain a 23-19 advantage on another Kostelac kill, but Radford answered with three straight points before the Viking defense was able to force the Highlanders into back-to-back errors to close out the frame and earn the four-set victory.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, CLEVELAND STATE 2 | BOX SCORE
During the second match of the day the Vikings faced their first five-set decision of the season, dropping a hard-fought 3-2 match against the host Eagles.
Peyton Bloomer and Chelsea Penfield led the Viking offense against Morehead State, with Bloomer posting a career-high 17 kills and Penfield adding a career-high 14. Abby Miller finished with 41 assists, as the Vikings posted a .247 clip on the match.
Defensively, Audrey McConihe recorded the first 20-dig match of her career finishing with 22 on the match, while Miller chipped in 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. Cleveland State finished with 12 total blocks on the match, including seven from Penfield and six from Miller.
In the opening set, the two teams traded leads throughout the frame, until the Vikings were able to rattle off three straight points to regain control at the 23-21 mark, and then earned set point on an Ainslie McLaughlin and Madalynn Butler block. Although Morehead State responded with the next point, the Vikings were able to put the frame away with a Liberty Torres kill for the 25-22 first set victory.
The Vikings then dropped the next two sets before evening the match with a 25-20 victory during the fourth set. During the frame Cleveland State was able to gain an early advantage at the 6-3 mark on a Penfield kill, before extending its lead to 17-13 on a Bloomer kill and MSU error. Cleveland State then held this advantage for the remainder of the frame, closing the fourth set win with another Bloomer kill.
Although the Vikings were able to send the match to a fifth and deciding set, Cleveland State came up short in the final frame, as the Eagles came away with a 15-11 win to claim the five-set victory.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out play at the Eagle Challenge tomorrow (Saturday, September 4), facing Evansville at 11:00 a.m.
