Cougars Volleyball Falls to Drake 3-0 in First Round of the NIVC

Box Score The Chicago State volleyball team lost to Drake 3-0 Wednesday night in the First Round of the NIVC at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Cougars forced three set points in the first set of the match but the Bulldogs staved off each potential winner and rallied to tie and win the set 29-17. CSU got out to a strong start in the second set but Drake went on a late run and maintained the lead to a 25-18 win then carried the momentum into a 25-16 third-set win.

Yanlis Feliz led all players with 18 kills in her final match with the Cougars and Wiktoria Zagumny wrapped up her freshman campaign leading all players in assists with 31. Mesalina Severino led all players with five blocks while Feliz contributed four and Berenice Almeyda three.

The Cougars finish the 2023 season with a 13-9 record and second NIVC at-large tournament appearance in the past three years while four Cougars seniors close out their career delivering a Division I program best 39 wins over a four-year span and the first two Division I national post season tournament appearances in program history.

Set 1 -  Drake 29, Chicago State 27
-Chicago State trailed early, 2-0, 2-1 and 4-1 but rallied with five consecutive points on two Yanis Feliz kills, a service ace by Wiktoria Zagumny, a Julieta Sandez kill and block assist from Sandez and Mesalina Severino to take a 6-4 lead
-The Cougars maintained the lead throughout the first set eventually leaving by five, 15-10, 20-15 and 21-16 before the Bulldogs reeled off three consecutive points to pull within three, 21-19
-Chicago State moved to a set point at 24-23 but a Drake kill extended the match and the Cougars were able to force set point on three occasions but Butler rallied to extend the match each time before the Bulldogs tied the match 27-27 and closed out the set with a kill and Cougars attack error

Set 2 -  Drake 25, Chicago State 18
-The Cougars scored five of the first six points on three Feliz kills, a block assist by Severino and Wiktoria Zagumny and an attack error and CSU led 5-1
-Drake countered with four consecutive points to knot the set at 5-5
-Following a Feliz kill, the Bulldogs reeled off four more in a row to go up 9-6
-The teams exchanged points before Butler went on a run of five to go up 15-8
-Chicago State pulled to within five two times and four at 21-17 and 22-18 but Butler closed out the set with three kills to go up 2-0

Set 3 -  Drake 25, Chicago State 16
-Butler started strong with a 4-0 run and held 6-1, and 11-3 leads
-The Cougars scored three of four to cut the lead to six, 12-6
-The Bulldogs extended the led to 18-9
-Feliz continued her strong night with a kill to cut the gap to eight, 18-10, but would get no closer closing out a 25-16 set win and sweep

About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed 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. 
 
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