Volleyball Storms Back to Take Down IUPUI

Box Score By Sebastian Montoya, Athletics Communications Intern

The Chicago State women's volleyball team (2-0) took down the IUPUI Jaguars in a thrilling comeback win, 3-2. After losing the first set, 25-15, the Cougars rallied to win three of the final four sets, including a 16-14 win in the clinching fifth set.

In the first set of the match, the Jaguars kicked off the scoring with a kill from Maddie Haines that fired the Jaguars up, leading to a five-point streak to start. The Cougars then set up a kill for their first point of the game, produced by Mesalina Severino, bringing the score to 5-1.

The rest of the set saw the Cougars trying to claw their way back into the game, the highest streak being three straight points, bringing the score to 10-7 with two kills from Yanlis Feliz and one from Severino, yet the Jaguars came back with 10 points and the Cougars scoring two.

The set ended with an onslaught by the Jaguars, bringing the final score to 25-15 in a very dominating first set win for the Jaguars with an impressive .577 hitting percentage.

The second set brought on a very positive start for the Cougars with four straight points featuring exhilarating kills by Feliz and Laura Ilizastigui, forcing the Jaguars to take a timeout, which helped the Jaguars score two straight points off of an attacking error and a kill by Allie Pogue, bringing the total tally to 4-2.

The set then produced a slew of back-and-forth play between the Jaguars and the Cougars, with CSU racking up a five-point streak with kills by Ilizastigui and Nailah Jones and three attacking errors by the Jaguars, which had the Cougars pulling away with a score of 19-12.

The Cougars then finally were able to pull away, capped off with four straight points with kills by Feliz and Berenice Almeyda, sealing the victory for the Cougars at 25-18 in the second set.

In the third set, the Cougars rode on their second set win momentum and produced an outstanding .545 hitting percentage, totally dominating the Jaguars with a comfortable 25-13 win, bringing the overall score to two set wins for the Cougars and only one for the Jaguars.

The fourth set began with both teams trading points consecutively, and this was the case for the majority of the set. Up until to score being at 19-19, the Cougars began to pull away with two service aces and an energizing kill by Jones that led them to a win with a score of 25-21 in a very close set.

The fifth and final set of this thrilling series saw the continuity of various lead changes and ties but the Cougars ultimately finished off the set with a win due to an attacking error by Maddie Haines, sealing the series victory for the Cougars at 3-2 in a thrilling back-and-forth affair.

The Cougars are now off to an excellent start at 2-0 and will face Eastern Illinois later at 7:00 pm, once again in Charleston, Illiinois.

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. 

Follow the Cougars

For complete coverage of Chicago State University athletics, follow us on social media @ChiStateCougars (Twitter), @ChiStateCougars (Instagram), /ChiStateCougars (Facebook), or visit the official home of Chicago State athletics at GoCSUCougars.com.