Full Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 3 – UNC Charlotte vs. North Dakota State, Jones Convocation Center, 10 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 3 – Chicago State vs. Niagara, Jones Convocation Center, Noon
Friday, Sept. 3 – UNC Charlotte vs. Niagara, Jones Convocation Center, 5 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 3 – Chicago State vs. North Dakota State, Jones Convocation Center, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4 – Niagara vs. North Dakota State, Jones Convocation Center, 11 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4 – Chicago State vs. UNC Charlotte, Jones Convocation Center, 2 p.m.
Storylines
Chicago State hosts the Windy City Classic this weekend at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, playing host to Niagara University, North Dakota State University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Tickets are available for all Chicago State home matches, and season tickets are available for $30 (six home games, excluding Windy City Classic) at this link. Fans can also buy a Windy City Classic Package for $8 (covering all games) and $2 per individual game. All tickets for those 18-and-under are free.
THE OPENER: The Cougars opened their 2021 fall season last weekend in Charleston, Illinois at a tournament hosted by Eastern Illinois University. For the first time in the program's Division I history, the Cougars opened 2-0, with wins against Bellarmine (3-1) and IUPUI (3-2) before dropping the finale against Eastern Illinois (0-3)
HAPPY FELIZ: Through three matches, returning outside hitter Yanlis Feliz leads the Cougars in kills, with 42, after doing the same last season. Feliz earned CSU's Female Student-Athlete of the Year honor for the 2020-21 season
SET UP FOR SUCCESS: Newcoming setter Jaclyn Inclan, a transfer from the University of New Mexico, has been the Cougars' primary distributor, with a team-high 124 assists — including 47 against IUPUI
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Returning libero Andrea Calderon ranked sixth in the Western Athletic Conference with 4.43 digs per set last season and has averaged a team best 4.17 this season
EFFICIENCY KILLS: With a hitting percentage of .424, Berenice Almeyda led the Western Athletic Conference and ranked 13th in NCAA Division I last season
DA COACH:Â Head coach Tanio Trifonov has amassed a 329-229 record in his 22-year college coaching career, which has taken him through Florida A&M and Seward County Community College. Trifonov was a member of the Bulgarian Volleyball Team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
AROUND THE WORLD:Â On Chicago State's roster, seven countries are represented: Bulgaria, Turkey, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia and the United States
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.Â
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