HACKENSACK, N.J. — The Chicago State women's volleyball team lost to FDU 3-0 on Friday (Oct. 30) and Saturday (Oct. 31). On Friday, The Knights won (25-14, 25-19, 25-23).

FRIDAY'S RECAP
FDU scored the first four points of the opening set, getting two kills from Alessia Zampieri and two Madeline Joyce service aces before Nina Mitchell put CSU on the board with a kill from Kristine Bakhad. FDU pushed the margin to 7-1 and later 12-5, while Chicago State picked up kills from Graci Littlejohn, Nayella George and Mitchell as it tried to cut into the deficit. After a service error and a George kill brought the Cougars to 16-8, FDU answered with three straight points and later reached set point at 24-11 on an Ava DeGuzman kill. CSU fought off three set points on kills by Littlejohn and Mitchell around a Nina Jasiecka attack error, but Nora Marginean's kill closed the set for FDU, 25-14.

In the second set, FDU scored the first six points, getting two Ava DeGuzman aces and kills from Alessia Zampieri and Ixchel Kiahuitl Lopez Sanchez before building a 15-7 lead. Chicago State made its push behind Hailee Collins' serve, with a Rayon Thigpen-Camryn McCollum block, two FDU errors and a George kill cutting the margin to 15-11. FDU answered with four straight points, including two more DeGuzman aces and a Lopez Sanchez kill, to move ahead 19-11. The Cougars extended the set late with a Mitchell ace and back-to-back Reece Mazzier aces, but Agnes Shakirova closed it with a kill as FDU took the set 25-19.

In the third set, FDU built a 7-2 lead before CSU pulled back within 7-5 on a Mitchell kill, a Katarina Trutina attack error and an Emeli Muagututi'a service ace. After FDU moved ahead 9-7, Chicago State won the next six points, tying the set on a Thigpen-Jenesis Perrin block and moving in front on a Mazzier kill before Mazzier added an ace and George finished the run with a kill for a 13-9 lead. FDU cut the margin to 13-12, and after the Cougars later went ahead 21-18 on a George kill, FDU took four straight points to move in front 22-21. George tied it at 22-22 and Mazzier's ace put CSU up 23-22, but FDU scored the final three points to take the set 25-23.

SATURDAY'S RECAP
The Cougars lost to FDU on Saturday, falling 14-25, 15-25, 16-25.

The Cougars opened the first set with Hailee Collins' ace and later blocks involving Rayon Thigpen, Jenesis Perrin and Graci Littlejohn to move ahead 5-2. FDU answered with four straight points, including consecutive Mila Samardzija aces, and after Littlejohn tied it 6-6 with a kill, FDU used kills by Alessia Zampieri, Ava DeGuzman and Ixchel Kiahuitl Lopez Sanchez to go in front 11-7. Nayella George and Camryn McCollum helped Chicago State get back to 11-9 with kills, but FDU put together another stretch behind DeGuzman's serve and later expanded the margin to 21-12 with three straight points. Littlejohn added a late kill for CSU, but FDU took the final three points to close the set 25-14.

Chicago State moved in front 3-1 early in the second set on consecutive FDU attack errors, but FDU came back to lead 4-3 before kills by Littlejohn and Nina Mitchell helped the Cougars pull even at 5-5. FDU moved ahead with four straight points for a 9-5 lead and, after a George kill made it 13-7, put together a seven-point stretch that pushed the score to 20-7. CSU answered with four straight points, including two George aces around a Mitchell kill, to get to 20-11, but FDU traded points down the stretch and finished the set on Ashlyn Gualtieri's kill for a 25-15 win.

FDU put the Cougars in an early 6-1 hole with kills from Ashlyn Gualtieri, Mila Samardzija and Angela Marchetto plus a Madeline Joyce ace, but McCollum answered with a kill and served through a CSU push that cut it to 6-5. FDU immediately scored the next five points, including a Nina Jasiecka kill and two Ava DeGuzman kills, and later led 17-10 before a George kill and McCollum block helped Chicago State get back to 18-13. The Cougars later closed to 20-16 on kills by Mitchell and George, but FDU finished with the last five points, getting an Alessia Zampieri kill, a Kaylie Jensen block and a Nora Marginean kill in a 25-16 set.

FDU improves to 10-16 overall and 7-3 in NEC play while Chicago State falls to 1-21 overall and 1-9 in conference contests.

Up Next
The Cougars host Mercyhurst University on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Jacoby Dickens Center in Chicago, Illinois.