Final Stats
Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - With a five-set victory over Valparaiso Saturday afternoon, the Cleveland State volleyball team clinched the 2012 Horizon League title outright. The 2012 title marks the second time that the Vikings have won a regular season championship, also doing so during the 2009 season.
Set scores against the Crusaders were 25-20, 25-17, 11-25, 21-25, 15-11. The win also gave the Vikings 20 wins on the season, as CSU stands at 20-6 overall and 12-1 in league play. Valparaiso is now 18-11 overall and 8-4 in the Horizon League.
"I thought we played really well for about three and a half sets today to pull out the Valparaiso victory," head coach Chuck Voss said. "We were definitely prepared the first two sets, and came out playing great defense and playing really aggressive in all areas."
Saturday's contest against Valparaiso served as senior day, with the Vikings honoring Jackie Dabbelt, Marie Frease, Brittany Holland, Kara Koch and Amanda Medvetz prior to the start of the match.
Senior Day Photo Gallery
"I think all of the seniors did a great job, not only today, but the entire season. They are a huge part of the reason we are in this position because they have worked so hard in the past. Every time we take the floor we are playing relatively consistent because of the leadership they give us," Voss said.
Offensively the Vikings were led by the trio of Koch (18 kills), Dabbelt (10) and Frease (10), as all three notched double-digit kills.Kerry Winchester and Maggie Hannon also helped the Viking offense, Winchester with nine kills and Hannon with six. Three Vikings tallied double-digit digs, Koch with 15, Ally Beck with 12 and Medvetz with 10. Dayna Roberts led the offense with 51 assists, while also adding seven digs, three kills and three blocks.
During the opening set Cleveland State held a lead for the entire frame, including a six-point advantage at the 14-8 mark following a Winchester kill. The Vikings held a sizeable lead for the next few points, until Valparaiso came within two (20-18), after three straight Crusader points. Cleveland State posted five of the next seven points though, to earn the 25-20 first set victory. During this stretch CSU got points off of kills from Koch and Dabbelt and a Roberts service ace.
The second set was much of the same, as Cleveland State held a lead for the entire frame. The Vikings gained a four-point lead at the 16-12 mark on a Hannon kill, and held at least a three-point advantage for the rest of the set. CSU posted four of the final five points in the frame, with kills from Winchester and Koch and two Crusader errors.
After dropping the third and fourth sets, CSU came from behind to claim a 15-11 victory during the fifth and final set. The Vikings got behind early at the 3-0 mark, but slowly made their way back into the frame and eventually took their first lead at the 5-4 mark on a Crusader error. After trading the next three points, CSU posted five straight to gain a four-point advantage (11-7) on a pair of kills from Dabbelt and Frease. The Vikings held the lead for the remainder of the frame and closed the set on a Kerry Winchester kill.
"It has been a few years since we have won a regular season title, and we have been working hard since then to get back to this point. All of the players have put in a lot of hard work and dedication to get this title. We will celebrate it for the next couple days, but when Monday rolls around it is back to practice and putting in the hard work to continue the success this season," Voss said.
The Vikings will close out the regular season this Thursday (Nov. 8) hosting Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. in Woodling Gymnasium.
