RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In its second match of a western swing, the Chicago State volleyball team (9-5, 1-1 WAC) fell to California Baptist (6-5, 0-0 WAC). The Lancers won three sets to none (25-19, 25-13, 25-19).
The match served as the Cougars' final road match before opening its home WAC slate on Thursday, September 30 against Utah Valley.
In the first set, which Nailah Jones kicked off with a service ace, the Cougars and Lancers split the first six points to establish an even battle.
Keyed by kills from Jones, Yanlis Feliz and Berenice Almeyda, the Cougars then stormed ahead to an 11-9 lead, capturing a great deal of momentum in Riverside.
But California Baptist then unleashed a 4-0 run, taking advantage of a few CSU attack errors, to pull ahead, 13-11. A Mesalina Severino kill put a kibosh on the run.
But after Severino's strike, the Lancers again went on a tear, winning five consecutive points to pull up, 18-12, highlighted by a Cassidy Dennison ace.
That cushion proved enough for CBU, which held on to win the opening set, 25-19.
In the second set, the Lancers stormed ahead to a 5-0 lead on two CSU errors, a Scherine Dahoue ace and a Tesa Oaks kill. The lead then ballooned out to 10-2 in spite of a spectacular kill from Severino to stop the initial surge.
The Lancers' momentum was spectacular, however, and it proved impossible to stop in the second set. CBU took a 17-4 lead after dominating the middle portion of the set. Jaclyn Inclan and Jones highlighted the Cougars' offensive output, but a slew of CSU errors proved fatal as California Baptist won set two, 25-13.
In the third set, the Lancers opened on a 3-1 surge before a Severino kill and Inclan ace tied the set at 3-3.
The two sides then dueled evenly through the first 20 points, with the Lancers leading, 11-9, after a slew of Feliz kills.
The subsequent stretch belonged to CBU, as the Lancers stormed ahead to a 19-14 lead. A few highlight-reel kills from Jones and Feliz kept the Cougars afloat, but the CBU attack proved too forceful, as the Lancers won the final set, 25-19, to seal a 3-0 sweep.
Feliz led all players with 11 kills and still has registered 10 or more kills in each match this season.
The Cougars next face Utah Valley at the Jones Convocation Center at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 30.
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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