Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Depaul HTML Box Score I
Providence HTML Box Score
CHICAGO – Chicago State dropped a 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-15) decision to DePaul and a 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 16-25, 25-14) contest to Providence on Saturday (Aug. 31) at the DePaul Invitational held at the McGrath-Phillips Arena.
DePaul recap
The Blue Demons burst out to a two set lead thanks to committing just six attack errors in the first two frames combined. Chicago State trailed the third set 3-2 before DePaul pulled away in the frame with six straight points.
Offensively the Cougars were led by senior
Rachel Levitt (Willow Springs, Ill./Lyons Township)'s eight kills and nine digs. DePaul's Vesela Zapryanova recorded a match-high 11 kills. Junior
Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) added eight digs for the Cougars but the Blue Demons as a team held a 47-30 edge in digs to thwart the Cougars' offense.
Depaul improved to 2-0 with the win.
Providence recap
After dropping the first set to the Firars Chicago State came out in the second and grabbed a quick 4-2 advantage following an ace by
Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas). It was 9-8 in favor of the Friars when Providence earned some breathing room due to four consecutive points. The Cougars used their own run, a 7-0 variety, to advance within one point at 19-18. Senior
Paula Sioto (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Instituto Educacional Raphael Di Santo) had a kill and an ace in the run. The Cougars stayed within a point until Providence used back-to-back points to take a 24-21 lead. Junior
Valeria Desiderio (Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom) notched a kill for point 23 and junior
Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) delivered an ace to make the score 24-23. Providence asked for time and responded out of the break with a kill by Mackenzie Ziegler to take the second set on their third set point.
The momentum the Cougars found in the second set transferred to the third. Chicago State cruised through the frame. The Cougars held a lead as large as 20-8 before winning 25-16. Desiderio had a kill for point 25.
Chicago State trailed by just one point 4-3 when Providence put away the fourth set with a 7-2 run. The Friars never looked back from there.
Desiderio finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs. Sioto also had 13 kills. Levitt provided 10 kills. Freshman
Mackenzie Lotter (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) provided 40 assists.
Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) added a season-high 15 digs.
Junior
Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) recorded five aces for the Cougars. Chicago State had 12 for the match. Both totals best any individual or team single-match ace total over the previous two years. The last time the Cougars recorded 12 aces in a match was a five-set contest against Western Illinois on Nov. 1, 2010.
Colleen McCollom led the Friars with a match-high 15 kills.
Providence improves to 1-2. Chicago State falls to 0-3.
The Cougars host Indiana State on Tuesday (Sept. 3) in Chicago State's home opener. The match will start at 5 p.m. CT at the Jacoby Dickens Center. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the match for a "white out."
