Volleyball Hosts Utah Valley and Seattle in WAC Opening Weekend

Sophomore Shontanae Addison and the CSU volleyball team opens WAC play this Thursday at home against Utah Valley

This Week: The Chicago State volleyball team makes its long-awaited home debut at the Jacoby Dickens Center this weekend with a pair of Western Athletic Conference contests. The Cougars open conference play on Thursday night against Utah Valley with a start time of 7 p.m., then battle Seattle on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m.

Scouting Chicago State: CSU heads into its home opener sporting a 1-12 season record after concluding the tournament portion of its schedule last weekend at the ISU Classic with losses to Valparaiso and the host Sycamores in three-set sweeps before closing the tournament with a 3-0 victory over longtime rival Western Illinois. Junior outside hitter Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule) leads CSU in kills with an average of three per set, while sophomore setter Corey Davis (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) is averaging 7.24 assists a set and has produced a team-best 10 service aces. Pacing the Cougar defense is junior middle hitter Logan Miller (Palm Harbor, FL/Palm Harbor University) with 0.53 blocks per set and sophomore libero Shontanae Addison (Little Elm, Texas/Wakeland) at 3.46 digs a set.

Scouting Utah Valley: Utah Valley comes into the Windy City for Thursday's conference opener with a record of 4-8 on the year and has dropped its last three contests since Sept. 12. UVU fell to a pair of in-state foes last week with a 3-2 defeat at Utah State and a 3-0 home loss to ninth-ranked BYU. Senior middle blocker Lauren Bakker, the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, leads the Wolverines with 2.48 kills and a conference-leading 1.26 blocks per set in addition to posting a team-high .297 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Macky Fifita has produced a team-leading 2.93 kills a set, while sophomore setter Sierra Starley is dishing out 7.90 assists per set.

Scouting Seattle: Seattle heads into conference play at defending WAC champion Missouri-Kansas City Thursday evening with a season record of 8-5 after posting a 3-1 road record last week. The Redhawks captured road victories over Middle Tennessee (3-1), Central Florida (3-1), Bethune-Cookman (3-0) and Florida International (3-1) to go along with a 3-0 loss at Miami (Fla.). Senior middle blocker Marina Samadan, who was named WAC Player of the Week on Monday, has tallied team-high numbers of 2.88 kills and 1.17 blocks a set while recording a .429 hitting percentage. Junior setter Kerry Lane is averaging 9.53 assists per set and sophomore libero Mary Orbeta has produced an average of 2.71 digs a set.

Snapping a Streak: CSU snapped its 28-match losing streak dating back a year ago last Saturday after defeating Western Illinois, 3-0, in the finale of the ISU Classic. The Cougars posted their first win since gaining a 3-2 win against UMass Lowell on Sept. 21, 2014.

All-Tournament Cougars: Two CSU players have been recognized for outstanding play during the tournament portion of its schedule by capturing all-tournament honors. Woinowsky earned all-tournament accolades at the Women of Troy Baden Invitational, the Bash at the Boro Invitational and the ISU Classic, while Addison was named to the all-tournament team at the UIC Invitational.

Up Next: CSU heads to the Southwest next weekend for a pair of WAC conference contests. The Green and White open the trip at New Mexico State on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. before facing the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in a WAC Digital Network broadcast on Oct. 3 at 12 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

#14 Shontanae Addison: L/DS; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#10 Logan Miller: MH; 6' 3"; Junior

#6 Corey Davis: S; 5' 9"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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

#14 Shontanae Addison
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: L/DS

#10 Logan Miller
: 6' 3"; Junior
: MH

#6 Corey Davis
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: S

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned