FAIRBORN, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened play at the 2024 Horizon League Tournament Friday, picking up a 3-0 victory over IU Indy in the first round. The Vikings, who are playing as the No. 3 seed, improve to 21-9 overall this season with the win.

Cleveland State advances to the #HLVB Semifinals, and will take on No. 2 Milwaukee Saturday, November 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Liberty Torres led the Viking offense against IU Indy, finishing with 12 kills on the match to eclipse 1,000 kills for her career. Torres enters Saturday's semifinal match with 1,002 total kills.

Nia Hall added nine kills for the Vikings, while Laken Voss added eight.

Emma Walker led the Cleveland State defense with 23 digs on the match, while Laken Voss added 10 and Ella Mihacevich chipped in nine.

This marked the 16^th 20-dig effort for Walker, while it also gives her 605 digs on the season, marking a Cleveland State Single-Season Record.

As a team, the Vikings combined for 10.0 total blocks on the match, including five from JeriLynn Koehler and four from Hall and Mihacevich.

During the opening set, the two teams played a back and forth start to the frame, with Cleveland State climbing back from a 13-10 deficit midway through the set, gaining a two-point advantage at 15-13 following three straight Torres kills. The Vikings were then able to extend their lead to 23-19 on an IU Indy error, before gaining set point on yet another Torres kill.

Cleveland State then put the frame away with a Hall kill, earning the 25-22 first set victory.

During the second set, the Vikings had to battle back from a seven-point deficit at 17-10, slowly working their way back into the frame until a Koehler kill tied the set at 20-20 before a Hall service ace put Cleveland State ahead 21-20. The Vikings were then able to hold the lead for the remainder of the set, closing out the 25-22 second set victory on a Torres kill.

The Vikings carried their momentum into the third set, jumping out an 8-3 lead on back-to-back points from an Appleby kill and Mihacevich service ace. Although IU Indy worked its way back into the frame to tie the set at the midway point, the Vikings were able to regain a 16-15 lead on a Torres kill.

The two teams then traded points over the next few plays, including the Jaguars gaining set point at 24-22. The Vikings held off two set points after forcing an IU Indy error and notching a Koehler kill, before gaining a set point of their own at 25-24. Both teams once again traded points over the next few plays, including a trio of ties, before the Vikings were able to string together back-to-back Hall kills to close out the 29-27 set victory.