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CHICAGO – Senior Paula Sioto (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Instituto Educacional Raphael Di Santo) led Chicago State volleyball with 14 kills while adding two aces and four block assists in the Cougars' 25-21, 25-12, 31-29 defeat at the hands of Indiana State on Tuesday (Sept. 3) evening at the Jacoby Dickens Center. The non-conference match was the Cougars' 2013 home opener.
After struggling out of the gates the Cougars came alive in the third set. Whether it was intermission adjustments or the switch to the short sleeve uniforms during the 10-minute break, the Cougars put together their best volleyball of the evening in the third. The set featured 14 ties and six lead changes. The Cougars looked in control midway through the frame when back-to-back kills by senior Valeria Desiderio (Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom) put CSU up 17-12 and forced an Indiana State timeout. The Sycamores responded out of the timeout by scoring eight of the next 10 points to take a 20-19 lead. Chicago State delivered a counter punch on kills by Sioto and senior Rachel Levitt (Willow Springs, Ill./Lyons Township). The Cougars earned three consecutive set points starting at 24-23 but each time the Sycamores responded with a point. Kills by Indiana State's Kyla Thomas and Morgan Dall gave ISU their first match point of the game at 27-26 only to see freshman Chinwendu Ngwadom (Raleigh, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) tie it at 27. Junior Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) had an ace to put Chicago State up 29-28 and give CSU a fourth set point. But it would be the last point the Cougars would score. Morgan Dall recorded two of her match-high 26 kills over the final three points to clinch the match for the Sycamores.
"I felt like we were a little tight in the first set and never really found our groove till the third," Chicago State head coach Toby Rens said. "I really challenged the team in between two and three and I think they responded really well and came out and represented much more of what we are really about."
Desiderio finished with her second consecutive double-double thanks to 11 kills and 11 digs.
Indiana State improves to 2-1. The Cougars fall to 0-4. Chicago State takes the 10-minute ride to UIC this weekend for the UIC Invitational. First up is a 5 p.m. CT match with Denver on Friday (Sept. 6).
