Cleveland State downs Wright State to advance to the Horizon League Volleyball Championship Final
Nov. 17, 2007
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Cleveland State University Vikings got past the Wright State University Raiders 3-1 (30-23, 27-30, 30-19, 30-16) in the first semifinal match of the 2007 Horizon League Volleyball Championship Saturday at the Klotsche Center. CSU will meet the winner of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee-Valparaiso University pairing in the championship final at noon CT on Sunday.
With the win, the Vikings have won four of their last five matches. CSU advances to the League championship final for the first time since 2001 and the second time in school history.
Cleveland State freshmen Amy Benz and Alexis Korovich each led the way with 19 kills apiece. Korovich also tallied a match-high 23 digs to lead the Vikings defensively.
Wright State seniors Alisha Kimbro and Tara Geegan finished their respective Raider careers as both players reached double-figures in kills with 13 and 12 terminations respectively.
Cleveland State struck first as it captured the first game by a count of 30-23. CSU also out-hit Wright State .333-.205. Freshman Liz Fazio paced the Vikings offensively as she collected six kills on .364 hitting in the opening frame. Defensively, the Vikings received four digs apiece from Korovich and junior Jordan Bateman.
Wright State evened the match at one game apiece thanks to four kills from Geegan, senior Samantha Connor and sophomore Becca Awaa. Connor also chipped in with six digs.
The Vikings would go on to win the next two frames as they won the final two games by a combined total of 25 points and only trailed twice for the remainder of the match.
CSU limited WSU to a .189 hitting percentage in game three and a -.053 mark in game four as they Vikings closed out the Raiders. CSU's Korovich collected 11 of her 19 kills in the final two games.
For more information regarding the 2007 Horizon League Volleyball Championship, check out the volleyball championship central page at www.horizonleague.org.
