Photo courtesy Rachel Von, Purdue Fort Wayne
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Cleveland State volleyball team began a three-match roadswing Tuesday, dropping a 3-1 match at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Tuesday's match marked the 14th road match of the season for the Vikings, and their first time playing away from Woodling Gymnasium since late September.
Offensively, the Vikings were led with 17 kills from Peyton Bloomer and Erica Kostelac, with Bloomer tying her career-high and Kostelac setting a season-best. London Portis also notched double-digit kills against the Mastodons, marking her eighth 10+ kill match of the season with 11 on the match.
Abby Miller finished with 43 assists and 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the year, while her 43 assists marked her fourth 40-assist match of the season.
Audrey McConihe led the Viking with 13 digs, while Lydia Latimer posted six blocks and Bloomer finished with four total blocks.
The Match
After dropping the first set, the Vikings responded by picking up a 25-21 victory in the second set. The two teams traded points throughout the opening part of the frame, until back-to-back points from the Vikings on a Mastodon error and Kostelac kill gave the Vikings a four-point lead at 10-6. The Vikings were then able to control play throughout the rest of the set, closing the frame with a Bloomer kill to even the match at 1-1.
During the third set Cleveland State was able to gain the early advantage after carrying its momentum over from the second frame, gaining a 12-9 lead on another Kostelac kill. The Mastodons worked their way back into the frame though, regaining the lead at 17-14. The two teams then traded points until three straight points from the Vikings put CSU up 23-22 on a Miller kill. The Mastodons responded with a 2-0 run to gain set point, but a Bloomer and Latimer block forced the set to extra points, with Purdue Fort Wayne eventually earning a 26-24 third set victory.
The Mastodons then went on to pick up a 25-18 victory in the fourth set, claiming the 3-1 match victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will continue its current roadswing at Wright State on Friday (October 15), with first serve set for 6:00 p.m.
