Volleyball Heads West This Week for WAC Matches at Utah Valley and Seattle U

Senior Dzeni Hadzisehovic leads the CSU volleyball team out west this week for WAC road matches at Utah Valley and Seattle U

Match #16
Chicago State (2-13, 0-1 WAC) at Utah Valley (4-11, 0-2 WAC)
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 - 7 p.m., MT
UCCU Center - Orem, Utah
Live Video - Live Stats

Match #17
Chicago State at Seattle U (7-8, 0-2 WAC)
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 - 7 p.m., MT
Connolly Complex - Seattle, Wash.
Live Video - Live Stats

CHICAGO -

This Week: Chicago State volleyball heads west this week to play a pair of Western Athletic Conference opponents on the road. CSU opens its mini road swing on Thursday night in Orem, Utah at Utah Valley with the first serve set for 7 p.m., Mountain Time. Two days later, the Cougars make their way to the Pacific Northwest for a WAC showdown at Seattle U beginning at 12 p.m., Mountain Time.

Scouting Chicago State: CSU heads into this week's action with a 2-13 season record after opening its home schedule last week with two three-set defeats to city rival UIC and UMKC in its WAC opener three days later. Senior right side hitter Dzeni Hadzisehovic (Belgrade, Serbia/First Private School for Catering and Tourism) is the top hitter for the Cougars as she is averaging 2.75 kills per set to go along with a .204 hitting percentage, while junior setter Kelsey Taylor (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian School) currently leads the team with 3.96 assists per set and 12 service aces. The Green and White's defense are paced by senior defensive specialist Kiana Chaney (Roseville, Calif./Woodcreek) and freshman middle blocker Sofia Gruden (Washburn, Ill./Metamora) with averages of 2.98 digs and 0.91 blocks per set, respectively.

Scouting UVU: Utah Valley brings a 4-11 record into this week's slate which includes a 0-2 mark in WAC play. The Wolverines, who have dropped their last five matches since Sept. 13, opened conference play on the road last week with a 3-1 loss at UT Rio Grande Valley before falling at defending WAC champion New Mexico State in a five-set thriller a couple of days later. Junior outside hitter Lexi Thompson is averaging a team-leading 2.70 kills per set, while junior middle blocker Madison Dennison is producing team highs of a .219 hitting percentage and 1.53 blocks a set. Junior setter Sierra Starley leads the Wolverines with 8.29 assists a set with 17 service aces, and senior defensive specialist/libero Nakiska Willden currently averages a team-high 4.70 digs per set.

Scouting SU: Seattle U heads into the week with a 7-8 season record prior to Thursday's WAC home match versus UMKC. SU has lost three of its last five contests since Sept. 15 after kicking off its conference slate last weekend with road defeats to UTRGV (3-1) and NM State (3-2). Senior outside hitter Matea Mamic is averaging a WAC-leading 3.84 kills per set to lead the Redhawks. Sophomore setter Shae Harris is dishing out a team-best 8.65 assists a set and Katarina Marinkovic has produced a team-high 18 service aces. Defensively, Seattle is paced by senior libero Iris Ivanis' 4.43 digs a set and freshman middle blocker/right side hitter Katarina Glavinic's 0.86 blocks per set.

Long-Awaited Return to the JCC: The Cougars made their long-awaited return to the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center for their home opener last Tuesday when they dropped a 3-0 decision to UIC. The last time CSU played a match in the Jones Convocation Center was in the 2010 Great West Conference Tournament quarterfinals when it dropped a three-set decision to Utah Valley.

Up Next: CSU returns to the Jacoby Dickens Center next week for a pair of WAC matches beginning on Oct. 6 against Grand Canyon in their AVCA Dig Pink Breast Cancer awareness match with a start time of 7 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#1 Kiana Chaney: DS; 5' 7"; Senior

#10 Dzeni Hadzisehovic: RS; 6' 5"; Senior

#5 Kelsey Taylor: S; 5' 8"; Junior

#7 Sofia Gruden: MB; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Kiana Chaney
: 5' 7"; Senior
: DS

#10 Dzeni Hadzisehovic
: 6' 5"; Senior
: RS

#5 Kelsey Taylor
: 5' 8"; Junior
: S

#7 Sofia Gruden
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: MB

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned