BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Chicago State volleyball team fell, three sets to none, today to Jacksonville State in the Cougars' 2022 season opener at the Indiana University Invitational.
Returning AVCA All-American Yanlis Feliz led the Cougars with 11 kills, while Ezgi Dokuzlar added five and Whitney Barnes hammered home four.
Set One: Jacksonville State 25, Chicago State 15
- The Gamecocks started the first set on a 3-0 run. Lena Kindermann racked up back-to-back kills during the set-starting spurt.
- A kill from Berenice Almeyda stopped the run, and CSU racked up back-to-back points in response.
- A run by Feliz, with three kills in a stretch, powered the Cougars to a 5-4 lead before the Gamecocks punched back with a run to take a 17-8 lead.
- Feliz set up Barnes for an outside kill to stop the run and make it 17-9, Jacksonville State.
- Down the stretch, the two squads traded points, with the Gamecocks winning the first set, 25-15.
- In set one, the Gamecocks racked up a .421 hitting percentage to the Cougars' .143.
Set Two: Jacksonville State 26, Chicago State 24
- The Gamecocks started the second set with an 8-6 lead, powered by Katie Montgomery.
- The Cougars then rattled off four consecutive points, including two kills from Barnes, to push ahead, 10-8.
- An even battle led to a 15-15 tie before another 4-0 Chicago State run during Feliz's serve, including a Feliz ace.
- The Cougars led 23-20 after a kill from Barnes before Jacksonville State called a set-altering timeout.
- After the timeout, the Gamecocks scored six of the ensuing seven points to win set two, 26-24. Kindermann finished it off with a kill.
Set Three: Jacksonville State 25, Chicago State 17
- The Cougars and Gamecocks started at 3-3 after a Julieta Sandez ace finished off an even start.
- The Gamecocks stayed a few points ahead, leading, 10-8, after a stretch that included a 3-0 Chicago State run.
- Jacksonville State then powered ahead, taking a 22-14 lead behind a 7-0 run.
- The Gamecocks finished strong to hold on for a 3-0 sweep.
The Cougars return to action tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to face Indiana. They then face Indiana State at 4:00 p.m. to close out the Indiana Invitational before returning home for the Windy City Invitational September 1-3 in Chicago.
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.
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.
