CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State volleyball team opened its 2026 home slate Friday, dropping a five-set match against Valparaiso.
Four Vikings finished with double-digit kills on the night, led by
Julia Jozefov with 16.
Sophie Skidmore added 14 kills, while
Jazen DeBina and
Bryn VanVleet both tallied 13 kills.
Fiona Cooper recorded 55 assists through five sets, along with 12 digs for a double-double.
Vayda Delventhal led the Viking defense with 24 digs, while Jozefov and
JeriLynn Koehler both recorded five blocks each.
After dropping the first set, the Vikings responded by picking up a 25-19 second set victory. Midway through the frame, the Vikings tallied three straight points including a Cooper kill and Koehler/Skidmore block, gaining a 16-12 edge.
Cleveland State held its advantage throughout the rest of the frame then, notching back-to-back points on a Valparaiso error and Cooper service ace to secure the set win.
The Vikings carried their momentum into the third set then, as they opened the frame with a 3-0 edge that they would hold for the rest of the frame.
Cleveland State once again extended its lead midway through the set, with a Jozefov kill putting the Vikings up 15-6. CSU earned set point on another Jozefov kill, before closing out the 25-22 set victory with a kill from Skidmore.
Valparaiso evened the match with a win in set four, forcing the first five-set match of the season for the Vikings.
Despite a back-and-forth start to the fifth set, Valparaiso was able to pull away late to earn the 15-10 fifth set victory to claim the match win.
Cleveland State will return to action tomorrow afternoon, hosting Coppin State at 1:00 p.m.
