a 15-7 fifth-set after a 20-kill performance

CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta returned to form for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.Arrieta pitched seven strong innings, but the Cubs still continued to struggle against the New York Mets in a tense 2-1 loss.Arrieta retired 14 of the first 15 Mets hitters, including 12 straight following Yoenis Cespedes single in the first. He allowed one run and struck out eight in his longest outing since June 11.That was a little more like it, Arrieta said. I was really aggressive in the strike zone and I was using my off-speed pretty much throughout the whole game.Last years NL Cy Young Award winner got back on track after allowing four or more earned runs in three consecutive starts for the first time since 2012.Its good to see Jake pound the strike zone, manager Joe Maddon said. Its a good game for him to build off of. Another closely contested game with these guys. Weve just got to figure out how to score that run late to get on top.Closer Jeurys Familia escaped a bases-loaded jam with a game-ending double play after Rene Rivera drove in the tiebreaking run with two outs in the top of the ninth, lifting the Mets to their fifth victory in six games against the Cubs this season.Familia walked Addison Russell and Miguel Montero to start the ninth. Then Javier Baez reached on a bunt single when third baseman Jose Reyes made a play on a ball that appeared would roll foul. Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur hit a grounder to first baseman James Loney, and Loney threw out Russell at the plate.Kris Bryant then hit into a 5-4-3 double play to give Familia his 33rd save in 33 chances and 49th straight dating to Aug. 1, 2015.Its hard not to chase (Familias pitches) sometime, Maddon said. Hes got a natural sinker and he throws the ball really hard and he can throw ground balls, so give him credit.Rivera had the third single in the ninth -- following hits by Loney and Asdrubal Cabrera -- off Hector Rondon (1-2) as the Mets beat the Cubs in a rematch of in last years NL Championship Series.Hansel Robles (4-3) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the win.Noah Syndergaard of the Mets also returned to dominant form in a no decision.Syndergaard gave up one unearned run on seven hits through 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight before being replaced by Jerry Blevins after throwing 105 pitches.Syndergaard had his velocity early, reaching 100 mph in the first inning, and was able to escape jams in the first and second. He left in the fifth inning of his previous start, on July 8, with arm fatigue after allowing three runs in a loss to Washington.Overall, it was a great team win, lot of fun to be part of, Syndergaard said. It was great to come in here and squeeze out a win against their ace.Arrieta doubled with two out in the fourth, then was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Michael Conforto when he tried to score on Tommy La Stellas single. At first, Arrieta was ruled safe by umpire Eric Cooper, but he was called out following a video review.RIGHT ANGLEBoth Collins and Maddon loaded their starting lineups with lefties against two of the majors premier right-handed starters.Maddon called out the split against Syndergaard as enormously different. Righties entered hitting .210 against him, lefties were batting .282. Against Arrieta, righties were hitting .182, lefties were at .215.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: All-Star 2B Ben Zobrist batted fourth after getting two days off. ... OFs Dexter Fowler (right hamstring strain) and Jorge Soler (left hamstring strain) had the start of their rehab stints at Triple-A pushed back a day when the Iowa Cubs were rained out. Maddon said both were close to returning, but he didnt know exactly.UP NEXTRHP Bartolo Colon (8-4, 3.11) squares off against Chicago RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-6, 2.41) in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon. Hendricks allowed just three hits in six shutout innings in his last start against Texas on Friday and has a 1.70 ERA in his last 11 outings. Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Kirk Gibson Dodgers Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. http://www.dodgerssale.com/dodgers-a-j-pollock-jersey/ .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Sandy Koufax Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Sandy Koufax Dodgers Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. LeBron James has yet to accept the invitation Alexis Middlebrooks extended to him via Twitter to attend a Cleveland State volleyball game. Heres what King James missed last weekend:Middlebrooks combining for 35 kills in the Horizon League semifinal and final on a .353 hitting percentage, earning tournament MVP honors and, now, the espnW player of the week.Back-to-back five-set victories for the Vikings, propelling them to the conference title for the second straight year and a return trip to the NCAA tournament.Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. OK, not the actual Cavaliers stars (hopefully LeBron would bring those guys with him). But setter Gina Kilner is dubbed Irving by her teammates, and they call outside hitter Grace Kauth Love. The versatile Middlebrooks, of course, is LeBron.Alexis is one of the most driven players Ive ever had in this program. The bigger the game, the bigger she plays, said coach Chuck Voss, in his 17th season at Cleveland State. She was not going to let us lose this weekend, knowing there was nothing left potentially. She was probably only playing at 70 percent, but there was no way she was going to let us lose.Until this junior year, the 6-foot-1 middle blocker had never dealt with any serious injury in a childhood that included volleyball and basketball since seventh grade. But last spring sprained ligaments in her foot and a sore right shoulder limited her offseason training. Once preseason conditioning started, Middlebrooks thought she was good to go.Then I got shin splints and couldnt figure out what was wrong for the longest time, she said. From the spring on, it was one thing after another.Middlebrooks refused to get dispirited from all the issues, or frankly from any setbacks since shes become a college athlete. She was the first in her class to arrive on the Cleveland State campus the spring of her high school senior year, eager to begin her volleyball training. But Voss didnt recognize the player he recruited from Elyria (Ohio) High School who earned all-state honorable mention her junior and senior years.She looked awful at first, he said. To be honest, I didnt know if she could play for us.Middlebrooks had drifted from her fitness regimen without the routine of high school sports. She was out of shape and knew it. Insteaad of pouting, she took to the weight room and the track.dddddddddddd. The daughter of two Army veterans, shes a stickler for self-discipline, whether its diet or in the gym, and by the start of preseason, she was as ready as the returning veterans.I had never sat the bench in my life, so I worked really hard, she said. In the summer I worked every day with the older kids. I was the only person in my class here running and lifting with the upperclassmen, so that put me ahead.She was not going to be denied, Voss said.Its a mental approach she brings to the toughest of situations, even last weekend.Neither of the tournament matches last weekend went as scripted. Cleveland State surged to 2-0 leads in both only to drop sets three and four. Middlebrooks takes her responsibility as captain seriously and knew she had to lift her team in the fifth.Cleveland State prevailed 15-11 in its semifinal over Oakland, punctuated by a Middlebrooks kill on match point. The Vikings clinched the title the following night behind a 15-7 fifth-set after a 20-kill performance by Middlebrooks, her first of the season on a night when she hit at a .515 clip.Its a victory that validates a season of hard work, she said. I dont know that many people who work as hard as me and my teammates, said Middlebrooks, a deans list regular majoring in criminal justice with a double minor in communication and psychology Winning it two times in a row adds to our school history. We want to get to the NCAAs and put Cleveland State volleyball on the map.A year ago, the Vikings made the field of 64, too, though an unfortunate draw pitted them against USC, the top team in the nation, in the first round.This season with an RPI of 39, Voss said hes hoping for a better matchup in the national tournament.Were a physically strong team with of a lot of girls from Northeast Ohio, many of whom were overlooked by bigger schools, he said. Weve got raw athletic kids that weve trained up into really good volleyball players.Middlebrooks, an AVCA All-Northeast Region honorable mention selection last year, is among those. Just like her Cavs, she promises, We dont back down from anyone. ' ' '