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Streaking Vikings Head to Wisconsin for Two Matches
Oct. 15, 2007
Contact: Greg Murphy
Complete Release in PDF Format
Match #22 Match #23 Quick Sets: After three straight weekends at home, the Vikings return to the road for a pair of matches in Wisconsin this weekend. CSU will travel to Milwaukee on Friday (Oct. 19) for a first place showdown with the Panthers at 8:00 pm EST and will head to Green Bay on Saturday (Oct. 20) for a 5:00 pm EST match. Last Time Out: The Vikings were in action twice last week. Following are quick recaps of those matches. Match #20 - CSU 3, Butler 0 (Cleveland, Ohio • Oct. 12) Match #21 - CSU 3, Wright State 1 (Cleveland, Ohio • Oct. 13)
Series History: Cleveland State is 6-29 all-time against Milwaukee, including a 3-2 win in Woodling Gym on Sept. 29. CSU has won just one time at Milwaukee, a 3-1 triumph on Nov. 2, 1992. The Vikings are 21-15 against Green Bay and have won five straight and six of the last seven meetings, including a 3-0 sweep at home on Sept. 28. Showdown in Milwaukee: With CSU and Milwaukee entering Friday's match with identical 9-1 league records, it is safe to assume that the winner will have the inside track to claiming the regular season title. Valparaiso is in second place at 5-3, while Wright State is four games back in fourth place at 5-5. Head Coach Chuck Voss: In his eighth year at the helm of the Vikings, head coach Chuck Voss has methodically built the Viking program from the ground up. He inherited a team that had not enjoyed a winning season in 17 years and turned things around in his third season (2002) when he led the Vikings to an 18-16 mark. Since then, CSU has recorded five straight winning seasons, the most since the program opened with seven straight (1972-78). Voss has a 124-102 (.549) mark at CSU and moved into second place on the all-time wins list at CSU in a Sept. 21 win at Youngstown State. Voss, who has a 157-138 (.532) overall record in nine seasons, has mentored the only two All-Americans in school history, the 2005 Horizon League Player of the Year, 10 first team all-league picks, seven all-newcomer team members and three league Co-Newcomer of the Year picks. Succss Continues: With its win over Butler on Friday (Oct. 12), CSU clinched its sixth consecutive winning season, which is the second longest streak in school-history (2002-07). It trails the seven straight winning campaigns from 1972-78. Home Sweet Home: After opening the season by playing 13 of its first 14 matches on the road, the Vikings have enjoyed the friendly confines of Woodling Gym over the last three weeks by posting a spotless 6-0 record on its home court. CSU is 6-1 in Woodling Gym this season with its lone loss coming to Kent State, 3-2, on Aug. 28. Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: At 16-5, CSU has recorded its best 21-match start since the 1982 team opened with an identical mark. In addition, the Vikings nine match win streak is tied for the third longest in school history and just two shy of tying the all-time record of 11 straight wins set in 1983. Efficiency Breeds Success: CSU has outhit its opponents by 59 points (.220-.161) this season and has posted a better hitting percentage than their opponent all but four times in 2007. CSU is 0-4 in those matches. Individually, Amy Benz (.335), Jenni Ramminger (.300) and Beth Greulich (.287) rank first, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league. Easy as 1,2,3: Of Cleveland State's 16 wins this season, nine have come via 3-0 sweeps. Dating back to the 2003 season, the Vikings have won 65 percent (56-of-86) of their matches with sweeps. During its current nine-match win streak, the Vikings have dropped eight games and won three matches with sweeps. Five Alive: After dropping four of the first five matches that went five games this season, it appears that the Vikings have straightened out their five game woes as they have won two consecutive five set matches, including a 3-2 win over Milwaukee on Sept. 29 that snapped the Panthers 14-match win streak. The Vikings also defeated UIC in five games on Oct. 5 as CSU rallied from a 2-0 deficit to claim the last three games. A Sweeping Success: The Vikings recorded a program first with their performance last weekend as they earned their third straight Horizon League weekend sweep with wins over Butler and Wright State. The triumphs also extended CSU's league winning streak to a program best nine straight. Great Wall of Cleveland: The Viking defense has been making it difficult for opposing hitters this season as they lead the league in blocks (2.62 bpg) and rank second in opponent hitting percentage (.161). CSU is holding its opponents to a combined .151 hitting percentage during its current nine-match win streak. Horizon Success: At 9-1 in conference play, the Vikings have already established the second most league wins for a single season with six more contests to play. The nine wins trail the record 11 set in 2005. Set it Off: Mel Snyder is in her third season as the starting setter and as she has directed the Vikings to the best hitting percentage in the league this season (.220) and tops the conference in assists (11.62 apg). Snyder ranks third in career assists at CSU with 3,847 and is 230 shy of taking over second place. She Can Dig It: Jordan Bateman, who set a school-record with 457 digs last season, is on pace to shatter that record as her 421 digs this season are already the third most in a single season at CSU. Bateman recorded a career-best 36 digs against Milwaukee on Sept. 29, which was just one shy of tying Elisa Caraulia's school record of 37 digs against Kent State in 1987. Ranking second in the conference in digs (5.20 dpg), Bateman has posted at least 20 digs 13 times this season. Ramminger Slows Self: Jenni Ramminger was enjoying one of the finest seasons by a Viking, but was finally slowed down two weeks ago. However, it had nothing to do with the opposition. Instead, Ramminger suffered a sprained ankle in the closing minutes of warm-up prior to the match against Loyola on Oct. 6 and was unable to play. She also missed the matches against Butler and Wright State this past weekend, but CSU managed to post a 3-0 mark without Ramminger in the lineup. Despite missing three matches, Ramminger, a two-time Horizon League Player of the Week this season, is still second on the team in hitting percentage (.300), aces (23) and blocks (73) and third in kills (220). No Sophomore Slump: Beth Greulich has not fallen victim to the dreaded "sophomore slump" after earning Horizon League Co-Newcomer of the Year and all-league honors last year as she ranks second on the team in kills (225) and blocks (73) and third in hitting percentage (.300). A year after leading the league in hitting percentage (.364), Greulich is showing no signs of slowing down as she is well on her way to topping her rookie totals in kills, total attacks and blocks. Double Up: Alexis Korovich has been on a recent tear as she has tallied double-doubles in nine of the last 10 matches, including five straight. During that streak, Korovich has averaged 13.5 kills and 15.2 digs per match. She leads the squad with 232 kills after setting a season-high with 20 in Saturday's (Oct. 13) win over Wright State. Korovich is second on the team with 245 digs. A New Mercedes: Freshman Amy Benz is one of the favorites to earn Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors, which would make her the fourth Viking in the last six seasons to capture the award. Benz is the lone player in the conference to lead the league in two different statistical categories as she is tops in blocks (1.48) and hitting percentage (.335). Benz, who has recorded two double-doubles this season, is slowly moving up the CSU single season lists in several categories as her 105 block assists rank eighth and her 120 total blocks are 10th. Aces Wild: CSU has ripped off 44 aces over the last five matches, including a season-high 13 against Wright State on Saturday (Oct. 13), to move into second in the Horizon League rankings (1.84 sapg). During that same time, the Vikings have limited its opposition to just 16 aces. The Vikings did not allow a service ace to Butler on Friday (Oct. 12), marking the first time since Sept. 9, 2006 against Indiana State that an opponent did not record an ace. Share the Wealth: Setter Mel Snyder is doing a phenomenal job of running a balanced offensive attack as CSU is the only team in the Horizon League that has six players with at least 150 kills this season. Alexis Korovich leads the squad with 232 and is followed by Beth Greulich (235), Jenni Ramminger (220), Liz Fazio (189), Amy Benz (167) and Kayla Lefeld (156). For good measure, Snyder has contributed 74 kills of her own. This Team is Smart: The Vikings have been honored for their exceptional performance in the classroom as a recipient of the Game Time/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the third straight year. CSU, which is just one of just 55 Division I schools to earn the award, carried a team grade point average of 3.646 during the 2006-07 school year. The award, which began during the 1992-93 academic year, honors college and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a cumulative 3.30 GPA or better during the school year. Up Next: CSU returns to action two times next week as it makes a swing through Chicago. The Vikings will play at Loyola on Friday (Oct. 26) at 8:00 pm before heading to UIC the following day for a 5:00 pm match.
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