OREM, Utah — The Chicago State volleyball team (14-8 6-4 WAC) fell, three sets to one, to Utah Valley Saturday afternoon, ending the Cougars' four-match win streak.
The Cougars clinched a berth in their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference Tournament yesterday after winning a Division I program record 14 matches through the first 21.
On Saturday, Yanlis Feliz led Chicago State with 19 kills, marking her 31st consecutive match with a double-digit number of kills.
In set one, the Wolverines stormed out to a 6-1 lead behind two aces from Bryton Bishop. The Utah Valley lead would then balloon out to 13-3, as the Wolverines dominated the set, cruising to a 25-16 set win in spite of a late Chicago State run keyed by Feliz and Ezgi Dokuzlar.
In the second set, it was the Cougars striking first. CSU opened up a 7-3 lead through the first ten points, with Jaclyn Inclan registering back-to-back service aces at one point.
Later in the set, with Utah Valley pulling to within two points at 14-2, Feliz and Dokuzlar hammered home back-to-back kills to extend the CSU lead. Then, leading 19-16 a few moments later, the Cougars rattled off six consecutive points to win the second set, 25-16.
The thrilling third set saw the Cougars nearly pull off a dramatic comeback.
Down 23-15, the Cougars scored eight consecutive points on kills from Inclan, Feliz and Berenice Almeyda to even it at 23.
However, the Wolverines finished strong, winning the final two points on errors to take a 2-1 lead.
The Wolverines then won the first two points of set four and maintained a lead throughout, winning the decisive set, 25-18 and sealing a 3-1 win.
The 14-8 Cougars next face California Baptist at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 4.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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