CSU Volleyball Falls to Seattle in Four Sets

CHICAGO - The Chicago State University volleyball team returned to the friendly confines of the Jacoby Dickens Center this evening to play its first home match in over three weeks. The Cougars fell to visiting Seattle University in a hard-fought Western Athletic Conference contest in four sets (24-26, 14-25, 25-18, 25-17).

"Considering that we only had one lineup to go with due to injuries, I thought that we did very well (tonight)," said CSU head coach Dawn Barnes following the match. "We were kind of slow coming out of the gate, but I thought we played really well once we found our rhythm (later in the match)."

The Green and White took an early 6-3 lead in the first set thanks to a kill from junior Chelsea Sheldon-Medina (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North), but the visitors would go score 14 of the next 22 points to capture a 17-11 advantage following a service ace from sophomore Iris Ivanis. SU later increased its leading to 20-13 on a CSU service error before junior Milica Zmiric (Sombor, Serbia/Gimnazija Veljko Petrovic) recorded seven straight service points, including two service aces, to give the Cougars a 22-20 lead. A kill from junior Selena Newell (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter) put the home team at 24-22, but the Redhawks scored the final four points to capture the set.

Seattle (7-10, 3-1 WAC) broke an 8-8 tie that started the second set with an 11-4 run with two kills apiece from Ivanis and junior Martina Samadan to gain a 19-12 lead en route to heading into intermission with a two-set cushion.

The third set began with the Cougars (6-12, 0-4 WAC) gaining an 8-4 lead with kills from Newell and junior Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule) on consecutive plays. CSU's leading margin later grew to 12-5 after a SU service error before the visiting team used a quick 6-3 run to slice its deficit to 14-11 on another Ivanis kill. The Green and White finished the set by scoring 11 of the final 18 points to pull within a 2-1 set margin.

The fourth set opened with the Redhawks posting a 9-4 advantage after an Ivanis kill, but Chicago State pulled within a single point at 17-16 when a kill from freshman Sarah Metcalfe (Huntington Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos). The ace closed out a run in which the Green and White scored 11 of the next 19 points. Seattle regrouped by scoring eight of the set's final nine points for the win.

Woinowsky led Chicago State with 15 kills on the evening, while Metcalfe dished out a match-high 35 assists and senior Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) recorded a match-best 15 digs. Newell and Sheldon-Medina finished with eight kills and six kills, respectively.

"We got great production from Selena, Chelsea and Elli as all three of them were key in our offensive game," Coach Barnes added. "I think where we struggled tonight was our blocking. Essence Jackson-Jones (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon) is out with an injury and she's been a key component for us blocking all season long. We really definitely missed her on the court tonight."

CSU is back in action at the Dickens Center with a WAC battle this Saturday afternoon against Utah Valley beginning at 12 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Julia Menhart: L; 5' 8"; Senior

#1 Chelsea Sheldon-Medina: MH; 6' 3"; Junior

#7 Milica Zmiric: OH; 6' 0"; Junior

#12 Essence Jackson-Jones: MH; 6' 2"; Junior

#13 Selena Newell: OH; 6' 0"; Junior

#4 Elli Woinowsky: OH; 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#14 Julia Menhart
: 5' 8"; Senior
: L

#1 Chelsea Sheldon-Medina
: 6' 3"; Junior
: MH

#7 Milica Zmiric
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OH

#12 Essence Jackson-Jones
: 6' 2"; Junior
: MH

#13 Selena Newell
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OH

#4 Elli Woinowsky
: 5' 11"; Junior
: OH

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned