WEST HARTFORD, CT - The Chicago State volleyball team faced off once again against the Hartford Hawks and won as they swept the Hawks 3-0.
Laura Ilizastigui led in kills with 8, while Yanlis Feliz, Mesalina Severino, and Berenice Almeyda all added on 7
Set One - Chicago State 25, Hartford 14
- The Cougars kicked it off with a 2-0 lead thanks to an attack error by the Hawks and a beautiful kill from Feliz
- Nonetheless, a 4-2 rally had the Hawks trailing close at 4-3
- However, the Cougars retaliated with a 6-1 rally featuring kills from Maria Lopes and Ilizastigui to lead 10-4
- This served as a stepping stone for the Cougars as they eventually sealed the win with a dominating performance at 25-14
Set Two - Chicago State 25, Hartford 15
- Chicago State began with yet another 2-0 lead with a stunning kill from Feliz
- The Hawks managed to stay close, retaliating once again only trailing by one at 4-3
- However, once again the Cougars erupted with a 6-2 rally to lead 10-5
- This set the momentum for the Cougars as they again dominated the Hawks and sealing the win with a thunderous strike from Almeyda
Set Three - Chicago State 25, Hartford
- Hartford came out with a kill to go up 1-0
- Fortunately, the Cougars retaliated right back with a mesmerizing kill from Severino
- Nonetheless, the Hawks bounced back and stunned the Cougars to go up 7-3
- Out of nowhere, Chicago State came back with a 5-1 rally thanks to multiple errors by the Hawks and a kill from Severino to tie it up 8-8
- This come back pushed the Cougars through as they dominated and sealed the win at 25-15 to sweep the Hartford Hawks for the second time this week
This marks the end for the 2022 season as the Cougars now head into the off-season.
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. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. 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, also making 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. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.
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