GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Cleveland State volleyball team continued the 2021 campaign Friday evening, dropping a hard-fought five-set match at Green Bay.

Cleveland State will now travel to UIC on Sunday, November 7 for its final road match of the regular season.

Offensively, Keanna Avery led the Vikings with 13 kills, while Erica Kostelac posted 12 and London Portis finished with eight.

Abby Miller recorded 34 assists along with 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.

Emma Walker played four of the five sets as libero for the Vikings, finishing with a team-high 16 digs. Audrey McConihe tallied nine digs for the Viking defense, while Halayna Kesling and Sarah DeGeorge both tallied seven.

Portis finished with a team-best six total blocks, while Ainslie McLaughlin added five.

Despite dropping the first two sets, the Vikings rallied to pick up wins in the third and fourth frames, before falling short in the fifth and deciding set.

During the third set the two teams traded points throughout the majority of the frame, until a mini 3-0 run from the Vikings put them up 22-19 on a Portis kill. Green Bay would close the gap to just one point, but a Portis and McLaughlin block extended the lead back to two points at 23-21. The Vikings were then able to gain set point on another Portis kill, before earning the 25-22 set victory on a Phoenix error.

During the fourth set the Vikings were able to overcome an early 6-0 deficit, working their way back into the contest and gaining an 11-10 advantage on a Miller service ace. The Vikings were then able to grow their lead over the next few plays, gaining a 19-14 advantage following a Green Bay error.

The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, until Cleveland State was able to gain its first set point at the 24-22 mark on another Phoenix error. Although Green Bay was able to fend off the first set point, Cleveland State finally put the frame away with an Avery kill for the 25-23 set victory.

During the fifth and final set, the Vikings were able to gain an early lead but it wouldn't last long, as the Phoenix rattled off three straight points late in the frame to gain a 12-9 lead that they would hold for the rest of the set, claiming the 15-12 final set victory.