Volleyball Loses Five-Set Thriller, 3-2, to South Dakota State

SIOUX FALLS, SD - The Chicago State volleyball team faced off against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits and suffered a nailbiting loss, three sets to two.

The Cougars roared back from a 2-0 deficit but were ultimately bested by the Jackrabbits. Whitney Barnes led in kills with nineteen, while Yanlis Feliz added on seventeen and Berenice Almeyda tallied twelve.

Set One - SDSU 25, CSU 20

• The Jackrabbits started off with a 3-0 lead
• The Cougars struggled to come back but after a period of back-and-forth scoring, it was all tied up 12-12 after a ferocious kill by Whitney Barnes
• The Jackrabbits eventually overcame the Cougars and won the set with a final score of 25-20

Set Two - SDSU 25, CSU 23

• Chicago State came out hot with a 3-0 lead featuring two kills by Berenice Almeyda
• The Jackrabbits retaliated with a 3-0 run of their own to tie it 3-3
• SDSU suddenly erupted and led by four points at 11-7
• Chicago State bounced back with a 6-0 run featuring kills by Barnes and Ezgi Dokuzlar to lead 12-11
• The Jackrabbits regained the four point lead though at 20-24 in which the Cougars came close to coming back with a 3-0 run
• Nonetheless, SDSU finished off the Cougars with a final score of 25-23

Set Three - CSU 25, SDSU 23

• The Jackrabbits stunned the Cougars and jumped out to a 9-4 lead
• The Cougars suddenly erupted with an 8-3 run which featured kills by Feliz, Almeyda, and Barnes
• This tie remained through the set up until a 21-21 score
• The Cougars eventually edged the Jackrabbits to stay alive in the match with a ferocious kill by Feliz and a final set score of 25-23

Set Four - CSU 30, SDSU 28

• Chicago State fired off with a 3-0 run featuring a kill by Julieta Sandez
• The Jackrabbits instantaneously bounced back with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the set
• This back-and-forth trend continued all throughout the set as the Cougars fought to stay alive
• It all led up to a 25-25 score in which a two point lead was needed to win the set
• It wasn't until a 28-28 score that an attack error and a beautiful service ace by Andrea Calderon sealed the set win for the Cougars at 30-28 as they now tied the match at 2-2

Set Five - SDSU 17, CSU 15

• The Cougars began with a 2-0 run featuring a kill by Barnes and an attack error by SDSU
• Chicago State continued this with a 3-1 rally that now featured kills by Feliz, Sandez, and also Barnes to lead 5-2
• However, the Jackrabbits fought back and eventually gained a 7-7 tie
• This back-and-forth pace of play led to a 14-14 tied where a 2 point lead was once again needed to win
• The Jackrabbits ultimately finished off the Cougars with a score of 17-15 to win the set after a five-set thriller

The Cougars next face North Dakota State University on Friday at 10 a.m.

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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