CHICAGO — The Chicago State women's volleyball were unable to come away with the victory as the Cougars lost to Stonehill 3-2 on Saturday (Oct. 3). 

Stonehill won the first five points of the opening set behind three Abby Farrell service aces before the Cougars got on the board and cut the gap to 5-3 on a Nayella George/Rayon Thigpen block and a Camryn McCollum kill. Stonehill later pushed back ahead 11-5 and stayed in front until CSU made its late move, trimming a 20-17 deficit with a Jenesis Perrin kill and then scoring four straight points on Tenese Buttry's serve to take a 22-20 lead. After Stonehill tied the set at 22-22 and twice moved ahead in extra points, Chicago State answered at 26-25 with back-to-back George kills. A Haley Herndon attack error, blocked by Graci Littlejohn, finished a 28-26 first-set win for CSU.

The second set stayed close early before Stonehill turned an 11-8 edge into a 16-9 lead, with a Haley Herndon kill, an Addy Frye service ace and a Samantha Loyd kill helping create the separation. The Cougars trailed 18-11 before a George kill returned serve, and George then served five straight points as Perrin added a kill, George delivered an ace, and blocks involving Littlejohn, Perrin and Nina Mitchell pulled CSU within 18-17. Mitchell later put down kills to get Chicago State to 20-19 and 21-21, and a Thigpen block gave the Cougars a 22-21 lead. The teams traded points from there, with a McCollum-Thigpen block tying the set at 23-23 and a Stonehill service error tying it again at 24-24, but Stonehill took the final two points to win the set 26-24.

Stonehill opened the third set with four straight points before CSU worked back to a 6-6 tie on an attack error and a block by Perrin and Littlejohn. After the teams traded runs through the middle of the set, Stonehill moved ahead 16-14, but the Cougars scored the next four points, including two Buttry service aces and a block by Littlejohn and George, to take an 18-16 lead. Stonehill pulled even at 22-22 with three straight points, but Chicago State moved back in front on an Abby Farrell attack error that Littlejohn blocked and reached set point on another Stonehill error. A final Stonehill attack error closed the set for CSU, 25-22.

Stonehill built an early 5-2 lead in the fourth set, getting two kills from Kaisa Dowd and a service ace by Reegan Mishkin before George put down a kill for the Cougars at 5-3. CSU cut the gap to 8-7 on a Perrin kill and a Stonehill attack error, but Stonehill moved back out to 14-8 behind kills from Reegan Mishkin, Jess Barrett and Mia Crowley, along with Barrett's ace. Chicago State worked back to 18-15 after kills by Perrin and Mitchell and a Thigpen block, only for Stonehill to score the next five points and reach 23-15. After Stonehill reached set point at 24-17, Hailee Collins served back-to-back aces and George added a kill to pull the Cougars within 24-21, but Crowley finished the set with a kill for a 25-21 Stonehill win.

Mitchell had an early kill and a service ace as CSU moved ahead 2-0 in the fifth set, but Stonehill answered with kills from Mia Crowley and Kaisa Dowd and later went in front 3-2. The set stayed tight through several ties before George's kill, George's ace and another Mitchell kill pushed the Cougars ahead 9-7. Stonehill responded with five straight points, using three CSU attack errors and a Haley Herndon kill to take a 12-9 lead. Littlejohn's kill and a block by Thigpen and Perrin brought Chicago State within 12-11, but Stonehill scored three of the final four points and closed the set 15-12 on a Reegan Mishkin kill.

CSU is 1-13 overall and 1-1 in NEC play while Stonehill is 4-14 overall and 1-1 in NEC play.

Up Next
The Cougars host LIU in another NEC matchup on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. at Jacoby Dickens Center in Chicago, Illinois.

About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University sponsors 17 Division I intercollegiate athletic teams and competes in the Northeast (NEC) Conference. CSU's athletic program includes over 300 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, triathlon, and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. For more information and updates on Chicago State Football, visit www.gocsucougars.com.
 
About Chicago State University
Chicago State University, founded in 1867, is the oldest public university in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The University's four colleges offer over 60 undergraduate and graduate degree-granting and non-degree programs. CSU is committed to equity in education, serving as the only U.S. Department of Education-designated four-year Predominantly Black Institution in Illinois. The University's continued value to students and the State of Illinois is demonstrated by the ranking by a Harvard economist that places CSU in the top 4 percent of public and private universities nationwide in supporting its graduates' economic mobility. The University serves as a prominent community anchor and civic space on the greater south side of Chicago by leading a multitude of athletic, educational, cultural, and recreational activities. Visit csu.edu.