MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened its final series of the regular season Friday, dropping a hard fought five-set decision at Milwaukee.
Nia Hall and
Liberty Torres both tallied 23 kills to lead the Viking offense, while
Laken Voss added 11 kills.
Ella Mihacevich finished with 54 assists on the night along with 12 digs.
Emma Walker recorded 37 digs to lead the Viking defense, with Voss adding 22 and
Vayda Delventhal chipping in 11.
As a team, the Vikings combined for 13.0 total blocks on the night, including 11 blocks from
Allana Appleby.
During the opening set, the Vikings jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead following a
Nia Hall kill, while back-to-back Milwaukee errors a few plays later extended Cleveland State's lead to 8-4. The Vikings then held the momentum throughout the rest of the frame, as back-to-back blocks from
Allana Appleby/
Liberty Torres and Hall/Appleby put CSU up 18-9.
Cleveland State then held off a late Milwaukee run, coming away with the 25-13 victory following a Koehler kill and another Milwaukee error.
The Vikings then gained a 2-0 match lead after picking up a 31-29 win in the second set, coming back from a late three-point deficit to earn their fourth set point on a Milwaukee error, before closing out the frame on a Hall kill.
Milwaukee responded by winning the next two sets, forcing the match to a fifth and deciding frame.
After both teams traded points to open the set, the Vikings were able to gain a three-point edge at 5-2 following a Hall kill and a Panther error. Milwaukee answered with a 3-0 run to knot the score at 5-5, before a
Laken Voss kill put the Vikings back on top at 6-5 midway through the frame.
The two teams then once again traded points, until Milwaukee rattled off five straight points to swing the momentum in its favor with a 12-7 lead. The Panthers would then control play throughout the rest of the frame, coming away with the 15-11 fifth set victory to claim the match win.
The Vikings will now close out regular season play against the Panthers tomorrow, with first serve set for 3:00 p.m. EST.
