Courtesy: Central State Athletics
WILBERFORCE, Ohio – The Central State Marauders ended the regular season with a win over rival Kentucky State in three sets on Friday night.
With the victory, CSU clinched the SIAC regular season title with a 9-1 ledger in conference play while upping their overall mark to 11-13.
CSU cruised to a 25-14 win in the opening set as Antonio Barazza and Marcus Franck each tallied four kills. CSU handled KSU again in the second stanza, 25-17, with a balanced attack led by Cameron Lee’s four kills. In a lopsided 25-11 win in the third set, Marauder reserve player in Alain Tamo-Noche delivered the final blow to KSU with a service ace to end the match and start the championship celebration in Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.
The Marauders were efficient offensively with a .362 hitting percentage while recording 37 combined kills and 12 errors on 69 attacks. KSU struggled to find their offensive rythym, finishing the night with 13 kills and 18 errors on 53 attacks for a -.094 hitting percentage.
Barazza finished the match with a season-high nine kills and a .750 hitting percentage. Setter Marcus Franck distributed a match-high 26 assists and added five kills. Libero Victor Scherer seven digs in the victory.
CSU enters next week’s SIAC Tournament as the top seed and will play on Tuesday at 4 pm. All tournament matches will be held at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.