Bloomington, Ind. — In its second match of the day, the Chicago State volleyball team (8-4) took down Alabama A&M in straight sets, 25-17, 25-22 and 27-25.
The win marked the Cougars' second sweep in Bloomington after taking down host Indiana, 3-0, in the morning.
In the first set, the Cougars came out firing with a 10-4 run to start, capped off by six consecutive points. During the scorching-hot open, Yanlis Feliz tallied two service aces to lift the Cougars ahead.
Alabama A&M then battled back to bring the set score to 13-9 on a few Cougars service and attack errors.
The Bulldogs' hitters then unleashed a 3-0 run, keyed by Ryann Tolbert and Sydney Morant, each of whom launched kills to bring it to 16-13 down the stretch.
But the Cougars quickly responded to squash the run. Berenice Almeyda tallied an ace, Feliz a kill and Chicago State took a five-point lead. The Cougars then scored seven more points to close the set, with both Almeyda and Feliz, plus Nailah Jones playing starring roles.
Chicago State won the first set, 25-17.
To open the second set, the Bulldogs scored six of the first eight points to take a 6-2 lead. But like she had all day, the dynamic Feliz spearheaded a Chicago State run to eventually pull the Cougars to within a point at 13-12. During the comeback surge, Feliz, Jones, Jaclyn Inclan and Ezgi Dokuzlar all recorded kills.
With the score at 15-12 Bulldogs, Chicago State went on another run, this time winning five points in a row during Andrea Calderon's serve, punctuated by a Calderon ace. The Cougars led 17-15 and forced an Alabama A&M timeout.
The Cougars then closed down the stretch to win the second set, 25-22. Inclan recorded another ace and Severino tallied two kills in the final moments.
In set three, the Bulldogs came out firing, starting on a 6-2 roll to force Trifonov to call timeout. Then, trailing 9-3 moments later, the Cougars went on a 4-0 run, keyed by back-to-back Almeyda stuffs.
The two sides dueled evenly in the subsequent moments, as Alabama A&M led 15-12 falling three kills in a span of seven points by Feliz.
Down the stretch, the set heated up. Tied at 17-17, the Cougars rattled off three consecutive points too take a 20-17 lead and force a Bulldogs timeout. After the pause, Alabama A&M settled down and scored two straight points on a Catherine Ndukewe kill and a block.
The subsequent stretch featured an entertaining back-and-forth battle, resulting in a 24-24 tie on another Feliz kill. One point later, Feliz and Oztuna teamed up for a block to force match point, but Alabama A&M's Tolbert responded with a kill to knot it at 25 apiece.
The Cougars won the final two points on, of course, Feliz kills, winning the set, 27-25 and the match, 3-0.
Feliz led all players with 13 kills on a .346 hitting percentage, while Jones added 10 kills. Feliz also tallied three aces.
On the day, the Cougars won all six sets between the morning match against Indiana and this face-off.
The Cougars next face Western Athletic Conference foe Seattle U on Thursday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m. to open conference play.
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.
The Cougars next face Western Athletic Conference foe Seattle U on Thursday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m. to open conference play.
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.
