Box Score The Chicago State volleyball team made history Saturday night at the Jacoby Dickens Center in Chicago, beating FDU 3-0 to win the Northeast Conference tournament title. With the win, the Cougars, who entered the tournament as the top seed with a 13-1 record in NEC play this season, earned the conference's automatic bid and will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Karly Klaer and
Julieta Sandez led the Cougars with 10 kills each,
Andrea Calderon had 14 digs followed by Klaer with 13.
Wiktoria Zagumny led all players with 31 assists.
"There's always nerves, especially in a championship week," Cougars head coach
Tony Trifonov said. "Our team proved resilient tonight. They played really, really strong. Credit goes to FDU for not giving up and playing really hard. They have some great players and had a great season. At the end we came up with the win and we're going to the NCAA Tournament and that's been the goal all season."
With the victory, the Cougars earn the NEC's automatic bid into the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, one of 31 automatic bids earned by conference champions in the 64-team field. The full field, consisting of these 31 auto bids and 33 at-large selections, will be announced on Sunday, December 1 on ESPN.
NEC All-Tournament Team
MVP: Patrycja Lagida, CSU
Camelia Melendez, LIU
Kori McClure, SFU
Emily Van O'Linda, FDU
Eleonora Tosi, FDU
Wiktoria Zagmuny, CSU
Patrycja Lagida, CSU
Andrea Calderon, CSU
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University sponsors 16 Division I intercollegiate athletic teams and competes in the Northeast Conference with the exception of men's and women's tennis who will compete in the Horizon League during the 2024-25 season. CSU's athletic program includes over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, triathlon and volleyball.
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