PHOENIX — The Chicago State women's volleyball team (17-8, 9-4 WAC) swept the Grand Canyon University Antelopes, 3-0, in a dominant showing for the Cougars, winning the sets by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-20.
The win moved the Cougars one victory closer to winning the Western Athletic Conference's West Division. If CSU beats New Mexico State on Saturday, they'll clinch the division crown.
With 21 kills, outside hitter Yanlis Feliz racked up double-digit kills for the 34th consecutive match, extending her total on the season, which includes the most kills in the WAC and third-most kills per set in NCAA Division I.
The Cougars' 17 wins are also the most in the program's Division I era (since 1988).
Tonight, in the first set, a kill by GCU's Hannah Eskes opened up the scoring for the Antelopes. However, the Antelopes committed an attacking error right after, tying it up at 1-1.
The back-and-forth trend for the set continued, as the Antelopes and Cougars kept matching each other point-for-point. It wasn't until a 14-14 tie that Chicago State suddenly went on a rampage as they executed an 11-4 run which featured kills by Nailah Jones, Jaclyn Inclan, Ezgi Dokuzlar, Feliz, and Berenice Almeyda. Andrea Calderon and Ece Erol had a service ace each.
This dominant run sealed the win for the Cougars, as they completely dominated the Antelopes with a final score of 25-18 and going up 1-0 in sets overall.
To start the second set, Chicago State came out hot from the previous set win and racked up a quick 2-0 scoring run with a ferocious kill by Almeyda and an attacking error by GCU.
GCU then scored two straight right back, with an attacking error by the Cougars and a kill by Ashley Lifgren, tying it all up at 2-2.
This went on up until a 5-5 score, when suddenly, very much like in the first set, Chicago State once again erupted for a 10-3 run which featured shaarp attacks from Almeyda, Inclan, Feliz, Jones, and Mesalina Severino, which brought the score to a 15-8 lead for them.
The Antelopes gave the Cougars a brief scare as they suddenly crept close with a score of 24-21. However, with a service error by the Antelopes, the Cougars took the set win giving them a 2-0 lead with a final score of 25-21 and a series sweep ready for the taking.
In the third and final set of the match, the Cougars and Antelopes, like in the first set, began with a 1-1 tie as Lifgren opened up the scoring with a kill followed by Feliz with one of her own.
Nonetheless, the Cougars clearly established their superiority as they once again went on a roll with a 6-1 run, featuring a spectacular service ace by Almeyda and kills by Feliz, Inclan, and Serevino.
This established the tone for the rest of the set as the Cougars completely took over, at one point leading by 10 with a 23-13 score. Nevertheless, GCU shocked Chicago State as they answered back with 7-1 run bringing the score to 24-20.
CSU ultimately closed out the set with an astonishing kill by none other than Feliz and a final score of 25-20, completing the series sweep 3-0 and just one win away from winning the division.
The Cougars next face New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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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