CHICAGO - Chicago State volleyball earned a split in its final two matches to close out the Chicago State Tournament today at the Jacoby Dickens Center. The Cougars went the distance in both contests as they opened the day with a 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9) win over UMass Lowell before falling in the tournament's final match to South Dakota State in five sets (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 17-25, 14-16).
CSU recorded 81 digs and 10 blocks in the UMass Lowell match, which featured 16 ties and eight lead changes in the five sets. Juniors Essence Jackson-Jones (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon) and Chelsea Sheldon-Medina (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) each tallied a match-high 13 kills and five blocks assists for the Cougars, while freshman Sarah Metcalfe (Huntington Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) produced 30 assists and a match-best four service aces
Masha Yelsukova led UMass Lowell with 12 kills and Hannah Rey posted 24 digs to lead the River Hawks.
Jackson-Jones recorded match highs of 14 kills and seven blocks (one solo, six assisted) in addition to posting a .379 hitting percentage to lead CSU in the South Dakota State match.
Junior Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule) recorded a double-double of 13 kills and 11 digs, senior Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) tallied 24 digs, and Metcalfe dished out a match-best 33 assists for the Green and White.
The Jackrabbits were led by Wagner Larson's 12 kills and also received 30 digs from Alanna Pengilly.
Sheldon-Medina received all-tournament team accolades for CSU following the tournament.
The Cougars (6-9, 0-1 WAC) hit the road for Western Athletic Conference play beginning Sept. 27 at Kansas City with a start time of 1 p.m.
