Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 UIC HTML box Score /
Marshall HTML Box Score
CHICAGO – Chicago State volleyball dropped a pair of matches on Saturday (Sept. 7) at the UIC Invitational. The Cougars fell 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 13-25, 25-16) to UIC and 3-1 (25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 25-9) to Marshall in the nightcap at the Flames Athletic Center.
UIC 3, Chicago State 1
The pace of the opening set shifted with the score 11-9 in favor of UIC when the Flames followed with an 8-4 run. CSU led 8-6 in the second when three straight UIC points forced a Chicago State timeout. It was a 14-13 UIC lead following an ace by junior
Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas). The Cougars tied it 18 when senior
Rachel Levitt (Willow Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) used a little touch on an attack attempt for a kill. Down the stretch though the Flames finished on a 7-5 run to edge the Cougars. Levitt and junior
Valeria Desiderio (Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom) each recorded five of the Cougars' 17 kills in the frame.
The third set was all Chicago State. The Cougars recorded six blocks in the set. Levitt had another set with five kills as she helped guide the Cougars to the 12-point victory. The Cougars kept the momentum early on in the fourth set, trailing just 9-8. Then UIC pulled away for good thanks to a 9-0 run.
Levitt and Desiderio each finished with 12 kills. Senior
Paula Sioto (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Instituto Educacional Raphael Di Santo) also had 10 kills to make it three Cougars with 10 or more kills. Desiderio added 12 digs for a double-double. She was one of four Cougars with double-digit digs. Freshman
Mackenzie Lotter (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) also added her first career double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs. Junior
Mia Townsell (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) finished with 12 digs. Junior
Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) added 11 digs.
Kara Johnson led the Flames with a match-high 13 kills.
Chicago State out-blocked the Flames 10-8. UIC improved to 3-3 with the win.
Marshall 3, Chicago State 1
Following an opening set that was all Marshall, the Cougars played tight with the Thundering Herd in the second. Sioto recorded three kills in the frame. Her kill put Chicago State down 17-15 and had the Cougars in it before Marshall finished the set on an 8-3 push.
The third set didn't look good for the Cougars when Marshall took a 21-15 lead. Chicago State chipped at the deficit and tied it at 22. A block by senior
Madeleine Radtke (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore) and Sioto put Chicago State up 23-22, their first lead in the set since 3-2. A Sioto tip kill gave Chicago State set point at 24-23. Desiderio was blocked in her attempt to win the set but Lotter followed with a surprise attack to the middle of the Marshall defense to put Chicago State back up 25-24. Levitt then followed with a kill off Marshall's block to give the Cougars the two-point victory.
Marshall finished off the match with a victory in the fourth set.
Sioto led Chicago State with 13 kills while adding eight digs. Menhart totaled 13 digs. Levitt added 10 kills. Sacha Byous-McConnell had a match-high 15 kills for Marshall.
Chicago State falls to 0-7. Marshall improved to 2-6 with the victory. The Cougars travel to Western Illinois on Tuesday (Sept. 10) for a non-conference match. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.
