CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team closed out its non-league slate Friday, picking up a 3-2 victory over Akron.

Prior to Friday's match against Akron, the Cleveland State Department of Athletics dedicated the new video board in Wooding Gymnasium, which was generously gifted by Harvard Title through the support of Clark Broida and Marie Kittredge.

Offensively, the Vikings were led by Laken Voss with 12 kills, while Liberty Torres added nine and Madison Olinger chipped in eight.

Four Vikings finished with double-digit digs, including a team-best 15 from Audrey McConihe. Voss added 14 digs, while Sarah DeGeorge tallied 12 and Karly Klaer notched 10.

As a team, the Vikings combined for a season-best 18.0 total blocks, including nine from Lydia Latimer and seven from Olinger.

After dropping the first set, the Vikings were able to storm back during the second frame, picking up a convincing 25-11 victory. Cleveland State was able to gain an early 11-4 advantage in the frame following a mini 4-0 run which was capped off by a Laken Voss service ace.

Although Akron was able to stop the scoring run with a pair of points, the Vikings responded with six straight points – including a trio of Liberty Torres kills – extending their lead to 17-6. Cleveland State then went on to control play throughout the remainder of the frame, picking up three of the final four points on kills from Madison Olinger and Voss and an Akron error.

During the third set the Vikings were able to erase an early deficit with a 6-0 scoring run, gaining an 8-4 advantage after forcing Akron into four straight errors.

Cleveland State was able to hold a slight lead over the next few plays then, until another scoring run extended its lead to 16-9 on another Akron error. The Vikings were able to withstand a late Akron run then, gaining set-point after a Voss kill and Zip error, before a kill from Lydia Latimer sealed the 25-18 third set victory.

Akron responded by picking up a slim 25-21 victory during the fourth frame, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

The Vikings were able to jump out to an early lead in the final frame then, posting the first three points on a Madison Quirino kill and a pair of Akron errors. The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, until back-to-back points for the Vikings forced an Akron timeout with Cleveland State holding a 7-3 lead.

Cleveland State was able to post the next two points out of the timeout then, gaining a 9-3 advantage, before an Olinger kill a few plays later put the Vikings up 10-4. Cleveland State was then able to hold off a late Akron run, gaining match-point on a Voss and Latimer block, before a Latimer kill finally gave the Vikings a 15-10 fifth set victory.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will begin #HLVB play with a trio of matches next week, beginning with a road match at Youngstown State on Tuesday, September 20.