Volleyball Embarks on Final Road Trip of Regular Season
10/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will head on the road for the last time during the regular season this weekend for matches at Milwaukee and Chicago State.
YSU will play Horizon League-leading Milwaukee on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern as the Panthers look to go to 13-0 in conference games. The Penguins then will step out of league play on Saturday for a contest against the Cougars at 3 p.m. Eastern.
The Penguins have played just one match since Oct. 15, which was a 3-0 loss at Cleveland State last Friday. Against the Vikings, YSU hit .33 in the opening set but slowed down to hit a combined .074 over the final two sets. Cleveland State hit .381 as a team behind eight kills apiece from Kara Koch and Megan Barhorst. Missy Hundelt had eight kills for YSU while teammate Nichele Johnson had six kills in nine attempts.
Hundelt ranks second in the Horizon League with 0.37 aces per set, and her 3.50 kills per set ranks fourth. The sophomore has 266 kills for the season, and she needs to reach 362 to rank among the top 10 for most kills by a Penguin in a season. With a strong weekend, Hundelt can surpass 500 kills and 400 digs for her career. She currently has 464 kills and 372 digs.
Sophomore Jackie Carlisle ranks just outside the Horizon League's top 10 in kills per set with 2.75, and setter Casey D'Ambrose ranks eighth with 8.70 assists per set.
Scouting Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 12-0 in Horizon League play and could clinch the conference regular season title with two wins this weekend. UWM has never started the league season with 12 straight wins. Conference player-of-the-year candidate Kerri Schuh is averaging 3.68 kills and 1.06 blocks, which rank third and fourth in the league, respectively. Rachel Neuberger and Mackenzie Millis also average better than a block per set, and Elizabeth Egerer has provided plenty of help offensively with 3.47 kills per set.
Last Time vs. Milwaukee
YSU hurt itself with 30 attack errors in a 25-16, 25-12, 25-21 loss to the Panthers on Oct. 1 at Beeghly Center. The Penguins were held to a -.018 attack percentage, and four Penguins players hit negative for the match. Missy Hundelt had a team-high nine kills, but she also registered 10 errors. Alexis Egler added eight kills and seven digs, and Jackie Carlisle had seven kills and a .211 attack percentage.
Kerri Schuh and Elizabeth Egerer both had eight kills to lead Milwaukee. Schuh added 11 kills, and Rachel Neuberger had six kills without committing an error. Mackenzie Millis was part of five of Milwaukee's 10 blocks. YSU led early in all three sets, but Milwaukee answered with runs in all three to take sizable leads.
Scouting Chicago State
Chicago State is 1-23 for the season with its lone win come against NAIA opponent Judson on Aug 30. The Cougars had gone winless during the three previous seasons and had lost 94 straight matches prior to the win over Judson. Chicago State averages 9.99 kills per set on a .106 attack percentage while opponents are hitting .282. Mazvita Maziveyi leads the Cougars offensively with 2.15 kills per set, and Alexandra Mason is the top blocker with 0.72 per set.
Up Next
Youngstown State will close out the regular season with four straight league matches at Beeghly Center. Next weekend, the Penguins will entertain Valparaiso on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. and UIC on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.
