AKRON, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team returning to action Thursday evening, dropping a five-set match at Akron to begin a trio of matches this weekend.

The Viking offense was led by Laken Voss with 24 kills on the match, while Liberty Torres added 11 and Karly Klaer posted nine.

Audrey McConihe posted 24 digs to lead the defense, while Emma Walker added 14 and Voss added nine digs.

Klaer recorded 40 assists on the match, along with notching a team-best .529 hitting percentage (9-0-17).

As a team, the Vikings combined for nine service aces, including three from Walker and two from Voss.

After dropping the first two sets the Vikings were able to storm back during the third frame, gaining an early 6-3 lead on a Laken Voss kill, before extending their advantage to 12-5 on a mini 4-0 run a few plays later.

The Vikings were then able to hold a sizeable advantage throughout the rest of the frame, and earned the 25-16 third set victory after claiming five of the last seven points, including back-to-back kills from Ainslie McLaughlin and Madison Olinger to close out the frame.

During the fourth set the two teams traded points over the first few plays, until Cleveland State managed to go on a 7-1 scoring run to gain an 11-5 lead and forcing an Akron timeout. During this stretch the Vikings got kills from Karly Klaer and Liberty Torres along with a pair of service aces from Voss and Halayna Kesling.

Although Akron was able to snap the scoring run, the Vikings responded with three straight kills from Torres and Klaer, extending their advantage to 14-6 midway through the frame.

The Vikings then controlled play throughout the rest of the frame, earning the 25-15 set victory to force a fifth and deciding set.

After a back-and-forth start to the fifth and final frame, the Vikings rallied for three straight points on a pair of kills from Voss and Olinger along with an Akron error, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Cleveland State was then able to fend off an Akron run, eventually regaining a two-point lead at 10-8 following back-to-back kills from Madalynn Butler and Voss.

Akron answered with a 4-1 run of its own, swinging the momentum into the Zips favor at the 12-11 mark, before a Butler kill would even the frame at 12-12. The Vikings would go on to tie the frame once more at 13-13, but Akron was able to post the final two points of the frame, gaining the 15-13 victory for the five-set win.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will open its 2022 home slate tomorrow (Friday, September 9), welcoming Morgan State to Woodling Gymnasium for a 6:00 p.m. contest.