MATCH #10
vs. Murray State | Friday, September 17 | Evansville, Ind. | 11:00 a.m. EST
MATCH #11
@ Evansville | Friday, September 17 | Evansville, Ind. | 7:00 p.m. EST
CLEVELAND STATE MATCH NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO (Evansville Match Only)
QUICK SETS
The Cleveland State volleyball team will close out non-league play this weekend, traveling to Evansville, Ind. for the Dunn Hospitality Tournament hosted by Evansville. This will mark the fourth and final preseason tournament for the Vikings. Cleveland State (2-7) will play both of its matches this weekend on Friday, September 17, facing Murray State at 11:00 a.m. EST and Evansville at 7:00 p.m. EST.
ROAD WARRIORS
During the 2021 season the Vikings will play their entire non-league slate away from home, and will play their first 14 matches - including two league contests - on the road. During this stretch the Vikings will travel to six different states and will cover over 3,400 miles - 750+ of which came last weekend when Cleveland State traveled to Hamilton, N.Y.
McLAUGHLIN NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sophomore middle hitter Ainslie McLaughlin was named to the Colgate Invite All-Tournament Team last time out after averaging 1.60 kills and 1.00 blocks per set on the weekend. McLaughlin, who earned a spot in the starting lineup during all three matches, posted 16 kills on a team-best .353 hitting percentage, while she also combined for a team-high 10 total blocks.
McCONIHE RECORDS CAREER-HIGH AGAINST PRINCETON
Last time out, junior libero Audrey McConihe posted a career-high 25 digs against Princeton, marking her second 20-dig match of the season. McConihe's 25-dig effort bettered her previous career-high of 22 digs that she posted at Morehead State as part of the Eagle Challenge. McConihe, who leads the Vikings averaging 3.75 digs per set this year, has posted 10+ digs in seven of the first nine matches.
BLOOMER & PENFIELD LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
So far this season Peyton Bloomer and Chelsea Penfield have been Cleveland State's top offensive threats, combining for 133 total kills through the first nine matches. Last time out, both Bloomer and Penfield recorded 19 kills at the Colgate Invitational, leading the Viking offense. Over the first three weeks of the 2021 campaign, Bloomer is averaging a team-best 2.47 kills per set, while Penfield is averaging 1.84 kills per set.
POSTSEASON HONOREE MILLER RETURNS
Sophomore Abby Miller returns following an excellent rookie season in which she was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. During the adjusted 2020 campaign, Miller led the league averaging 9.95 assists per set, helping the Viking offense to a .221 clip - the fourth best hitting percentage among league teams. Last season, Miller also averaged 2.63 digs per set and combined for 14 service aces.
…SO FAR THIS SEASON
After the first three weekends of play, Abby Miller ranks fifth among Horizon League players averaging 7.34 assists per set as the highest ranked Viking in the individual #HLVB stat categories. After combining for 72 total assists last weekend, Miller eclipsed the 800-assist mark for her career and enters the Evansville Invitational with 802 career helpers.
VIKINGS POST STRONG SEMESTER IN THE CLASSROOM
With the 2021 Spring Semester in the books, the Vikings posted one of their best semesters in program history, finishing with a 3.77 Team GPA for the term - one of seven Cleveland State teams to post a 3.75+ GPA last semester. In addition, four Vikings were named to the Cleveland State President's List3.90+ (Keanna Avery, Lydia Latimer, Abby Miller, Lindsey Tout), while seven returning Vikings earned a spot on the Cleveland State Dean's List3.25+ (Peyton Bloomer, Madalynn Butler, Sarah Green, Audrey McConihe, Ainslie McLaughlin, Madison Quirino, Sam Snow).
HEAD COACH CHUCK VOSS
Chuck Voss is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Vikings, and owns a 373-248 (.600) overall record at Cleveland State. Under Voss the Vikings have recorded 17 winning seasons, including a streak of 10 straight from 2009 to 2018. Cleveland State has eclipsed the 20-win mark eight times since Voss took over the program, and has captured Horizon League Tournament titles five times (2007, 2012, 2015, 2016 & 2017) under his guidance. During the 2016 season Voss became the all-time winningest coach in program history, and then later became the only active Horizon League coach to reach the 350-win mark at their current school.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will begin their 18-match #HLVB slate on the road, traveling to Robert Morris (September 24) and Youngstown State (September 25) for the opening weekend of league play.
