Nov. 17, 2006
Dayton, Ohio. - Horizon League co-Newcomer of the Year Beth Greulich posted 10 kills, while hitting .421 to lead third-seeded Cleveland State University to a win over sixth-seeded Loyola University Chicago, 3-0 (30-28, 30-17, 30-21), in the first round of the Horizon League Championships.
Cleveland State freshman Liz Fazio also notched double-digit kills for the Vikings as she finished with 11 for the match. Sophomore Jordan Bateman led CSU defensively, posting 15 digs in the win.
Loyola senior Ann Deelo became the Horizon League career digs leader after picking up nine in the match to give her a total of 1,742. Deelo entered the match trailing Megan Knightly (Butler 2002-05) by just four digs. The libero was voted as the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year after leading the circuit, averaging 5.07 digs per game.
The Ramblers struggled at the net for the match, but had two players post double digits for digs, as senior Courtney Ashley had 12 and junior Keily Zins finished with 10.
In the first game, the two teams exchanged points until Loyola went ahead and maintained a tight lead. The Vikings fought back and went ahead 27-26 off a service ace by Bateman. After the two teams exchanged kills, Bateman would come up big again as she picked up a kill from a shanked dig that dropped on the Loyola side of the net. Cleveland State then sealed the game, 30-28 after an attack error by the Ramblers.
Cleveland State dominated the second game and put it away, 30-17, after a service ace by sophomore Jenni Ramminger. The third game was much of the same as the Vikings were sparked by a 7-0 run midway through the game. A kill by Greulich on match-point gave CSU the win 30-21, and advanced the squad to the semifinals where they will face the winner of UIC and Butler.
The 2006 Horizon League Championship will be held Nov. 17-19 at Wright State University's C.J. McLin Gymnasium. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the winner earning the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be begin Nov. 30 at campus sites. The 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will take place at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska, on Dec. 14 and 16.
