Photo Credit: Rachel Von

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Cleveland State volleyball team closed out the regular season Saturday, picking up its second straight 3-0 sweep at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Offensively, the Vikings were led by Laken Voss with 14 kills, while Liberty Torres added seven and Lydia Latimer chipped in five.

Emma Walker tallied a team-best 14 digs, while Latimer, Voss and Karly Klaer all added five digs.

Ainslie McLaughlin posted four total blocks on the match, while Madalynn Butler added three blocks.

The two teams played a back-and-forth start to the first set, until midway through the frame when a pair of Lydia Latimer and Laken Voss kills gave the Vikings a 17-11 advantage, forcing a Purdue Fort Wayne timeout. Cleveland State then rattled off three straight points to gain a 20-11 edge on an Ainslie McLaughlin kill, before forcing the Mastodons into another timeout.

The Vikings continued to control play throughout the remainder of the frame, earning set point on a Voss kill, before closing out the 25-15 first set victory with a Madalynn Butler and McLaughlin block.

The second set was much of the same, as both teams played a tight start to the frame, until three straight points – including a Karly Klaer kill and Liberty Torres block – gave the Vikings a five-point lead at 15-10.

The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, until back-to-back points on a Torres kill and Mastodon error put Cleveland State up 18-13 late in the frame. Although Purdue Fort Wayne was able to stop the scoring run, the Vikings responded with another 4-0 run to gain a 22-14 advantage.

The Vikings then captured the 25-17 second set victory on a Voss kill, gaining the 2-0 match advantage heading into the third frame.

Cleveland State then had to play from behind for a large part of the third set, battling back to tie the frame at 23-23 following a pair of kills from Klaer and Latimer, before earning set-point on a Torres kill.

The Vikings then closed out the set with another Torres kill, capturing the 3-0 victory over the Mastodons.

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Cleveland State will enter the 2022 #HLVB Tournament as the No. 4 seed, with first round matches taking place on Friday, November 18.