Sept. 15, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Liz Fazio had 19 kills and 20 digs, both match highs, to lead Cleveland State to a 3-1 victory over Wright State in the Horizon League opener for both teams on Tuesday night in Woodling Gym.
Match scores were 16-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-20.
The Vikings improved to 10-2 overall (1-0 HL) with the win, while WSU fell to 7-3 (0-1 HL).
"Wright State is a really good team and took us out of our rhythm in the first set," head coach Chuck Voss said. "But I was happy with the way we bounced back in those last three sets to get the win.
"It's nice to win the first league match of the season. We got some great performances out of several people tonight and need to carry this momentum with us to Columbus this weekend."
Amy Benz recorded 13 kills and four blocks, while Kara Koch added 12 kills and three blocks. Jordan Goad amassed 45 assists, 13 digs and four blocks, while Maggie Bonomini and Meghan Mental totaled 11 digs each.
CSU took a 7-4 lead in the first set on a Megan Barhorst kill, but the Raiders went on a 5-0 run to take a 9-7 lead and would not trail the rest of the set. WSU would push the lead to as many as eight points.
CSU responded by scoring the first three points of set two, including a kill by Greulich and a Goad service ace. The lead swelled to 16-9 on a Greulich kill, putting the Vikings in control. However, the Raiders went on a 6-1 run to slice their deficit to 17-15 and get back in the set.
But the Vikings responded with a 6-2 run of their own to gain control of the set and take a 22-16 lead en route to tying the match at 1-1.
The Vikings started out hot again in set three, taking a 7-3 lead on a Raider attack error. The Raiders were able to claw their way back to within two points (13-11) on a CSU attack error and force a Viking timeout.
But that was as close as they would get as the Vikings closed the set on a 12-3 run. Benz and Koch led the run with three kills apiece.
Like the previous two sets, CSU started out quickly in the fourth frame, assuming an 11-5 lead on a WSU error. However, the Raiders were again up to the challenge, pulling within 14-13 on a Viking attack error.
The teams traded points and with CSU still holding a one point lead (18-17), the Vikings were able to break the set open by scoring the next five points, including two kills from Fazio, that all but iced the match.
CSU hit .252 for the match, while holding the Raiders to a .133 attack percentage. The Vikings dominated almost every other stat category, including kills (59-37), assists (52-32) and digs (69-51), while both teams finished with seven aces.
The Raiders did outblock CSU, 11-8.
Lexi Leonhard led the Raiders with 11 kills, while Jessica Woods finished with 13 digs.
CSU is back in action on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 19-20) when CSU plays three matches at the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic. The Vikings will play Xavier and Bowling Green on Friday before a match with the host Buckeyes on Saturday.
