Aug. 30, 2003

Box Score

BUFFALO - Cleveland State swept past Siena (30-24, 30-28, 30-16) and Syracuse (30-26, 30-23, 30-21) on Saturday to win the Western New York Tournament in Buffalo. Off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 1977 squad opened by winning seven in a row, the Vikings dropped just one game on their way to the title.

In the day's first match, CSU blanked the Saints as freshman middle hitter Danielle Siefker (Kalida, Ohio/Kalida) led the way with nine kills and seven blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Alisa Hatcher (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) added eight kills and 13 digs, while sophomore opposite Nickole Kennedy (Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut) tallied eight kills and five blocks. Siena hit just .024 for the match.

The Vikings closed out their perfect weekend by holding the Orangewomen to just a .045 hitting percentage. Junior middle hitter Jamie Bouyer (Bedford Heights, Ohio/Chanel) paced CSU with 14 kills and five digs. Siefker posted a .818 hitting percentage (9-0-11) and six blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Julie Stover (Northwood, Ohio/Northwood) tallied a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs.

"We put it all together against Syracuse," pointed out head coach Chuck Voss. "Right now we're playing with a lot of confidence. I can't say enough about how we stepped up our level of play this weekend."

Siefker, who hit .500 (30-3-54) for the weekend and averaged 2.00 bpg, earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

CSU posted a .271 hitting percentage for the four matches while limiting its opponents to a .090 mark. The Vikings also held a huge 44-24 blocking advantage for the weekend.

Cleveland State is in action again on Sept. 5-6 when it travels to Valparaiso for the Popcorn Classic. In addition to the host Crusaders, the Vikings will also square off against East Tennessee State and Indiana State.