Volleyball Starts Three Match Homestand vs. Cleveland State Friday
10/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will begin its longest homestand of the season on Friday with a match against Horizon League-leading Cleveland State. The contest between the in-state rivals will begin at 7 p.m. at Beeghly Center. Lauren Minenok and Sydney Sims will call the action on the Horizon League Network, and live stats will also be available on YSUsports.com.
The Penguins enter this three-match home stand with an overall record of 12-8 and a league mark of 2-4. The 12 wins are already tied for the most by a YSU squad since 2000, and the Penguins have at least eight matches remaining. YSU won three conference matches a year ago and has won a high of five since joining the Horizon League in 2001.
YSU has earned splits in each of the previous two weekends. Last weekend, YSU swept Wright State and lost in four sets at Valparaiso. The 3-0 win over the Raiders was YSU's first sweep of a conference opponent on the road since Oct. 23, 2009. Alexis Egler led the Penguins offensively with 23 kills on a .232 attack percentage last week, and Jenna Cavanaugh continued her strong play at the net by averaging two blocks per set. Erika West played strongly in the back row, averaging 4.71 digs over YSU's seven sets.
Cavanaugh continues to lead the Horizon League in blocks with 1.31 per set, and the Penguins hold a slight edge as the top blocking team in the conference with 2.23 per set. Missy Hundelt ranks fourth in the conference with 3.26 kills per set, and she posted the 800th kill of her career at Valparaiso last week. She is one of 14 players in school history to surpass 800 career kills.
Scouting Cleveland State
Cleveland State is 13-6 overall and 5-1 in Horizon League play, which are both tied with Loyola for the best mark in the conference. The Vikings' lone conference loss came at home to the Ramblers on Sept. 28. CSU has won four straight matches since, including a five-setter over Valparaiso and a sweep of Wright State last weekend. Cleveland State is led by conference player-of-the-year candidate Kara Koch, who averages a league-best 4.88 kills per set. Fellow senior Marie Frease leads the conference with a .345 attack percentage. As a team, the Vikings lead the league in hitting percentage and kills while ranking second in digs and fourth in blocks. YSU has played Cleveland State more than any other team in its history, and the Penguins are 13-49 against the Vikings all-time. CSU has won 23 straight matches against YSU.
Last Year vs. Cleveland State
• Sept. 23 (Youngstown) – Youngstown State was competitive for most of the match but struggled with ball control in a three-set loss to Cleveland State at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins lost the first set 25-22 and the third 25-20, but they dropped the middle set 25-11. Sophomore Missy Hundelt had nine kills in her first action in two weeks, and Jackie Carlisle added eight kills. Setter Casey D'Ambrose added 12 digs. Kara Koch had 18 kills, 11 more than any of her teammates, to lead the Vikings. There were eight ties and four lead changes in the opening set, and the score was tied as late as 18-18. Cleveland State had six aces in the second set and led 17-1. YSU led 7-4 in the third and had the score tied at 19-19, but Cleveland State scored five of the final six points.
• Oct. 21 (Cleveland) -- Sophomores Nichele Johnson and Missy Hundelt combined for 14 of Youngstown State's 27 kills as YSU lost 25-21, 25-14, 25-11. The Penguins hit .333 in the opening set, but hit a combined .074 over the final two sets. Hundelt had eight kills and a block, and Johnson had six kills and two block assists. The Vikings had a side out percentage greater than 70 percent in all three sets. Cleveland State scored 11 of the final 12 points in the second set, and they had runs of seven and six points in the third.
Recapping Last Weekend
• Oct. 5 at Wright State — W, 3-0: Youngstown State fought off two set points to win the first set and went on to sweep Wright State at McLin Gym, 26-24, 25-19, 25-22. Shannon Watson finished with a match-high 12 kills and added four blocks, and Jenna Cavanaugh added seven blocks, and Erika West posted 17 digs. YSU trailed 24-22 in the first set before scoring four straight points to win 26-24. YSU never trailed in the second set and jumped out to a 5-1 lead as Jenna Cavanaugh picked up two early blocks. The Penguins eventually built an 11-4 lead, and Wright State got no closer than four the rest of the set. YSU scored the first five points and led 7-1 in the third set behind three early blocks from Cavanaugh and Watson. YSU eventually led 24-15 before Wright State made it close.
• Oct. 6 at Valparaiso — L, 1-3: Valparaiso fought off five set points in the second set and proceeded to hit .419 in both the third and fourth sets to defeat Youngstown State 3-1 (22-25, 33-31, 25-17, 25-14) at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Alexis Egler led the Penguins with 16 kills and hit .286, and Missy Hundelt finished with 13 kills and 14 digs. Jenna Cavanaugh added seven blocks for YSU, and Erika West posted 16 digs. YSU trailed just once in a 25-22 win in set one, and the Penguins led 22-18 and had five set points in the second set. Valpo eventually prevailed 33-31 after YSU committed several errors. Valpo scored seven straight points to go up 18-11 in the third set, and the Crusaders scored eight straight points in the fourth set.
Quick Notes from Last Weekend
• Missy Hundelt surpassed 800 career kills in the match against Valparaiso. Hundelt's total is currently 808, which ranks as the 14th-most in YSU history. Ten players have gone on to reach 1,000. Hundelt is one dig away from 650.
• Alexis Egler had a solid weekend averaging 3.29 kills and 2.57 digs. She is averaging 2.13 kills and 2.42 digs per set overall and 2.60 kills and 2.96 digs in Horizon League play.
• YSU snapped a five-match losing streak to Wright State with its win. The Penguins also picked up their first conference sweep on the road since Oct. 23, 2009.
More Competitive in League Play in 2012
Youngstown State won 12 sets in 16 Horizon League matches last year, and it has already won 11 in its first six conference contests in 2012. The Penguins are 2-4 in league matches and need just one win to match their conference win total from the previous two seasons combined. YSU has won at least one set in each of its first six conference matches after being swept 10 times in 16 matches last year. The Penguins won 12 sets in 55 opportunities in conference matches last season and have won 11 sets in 25 chances in 2012.
Egler Off to Hot Start in League Matches
Sophomore outside hitter Alexis Egler has significantly upgraded her play since the start of Horizon League play. In six conference matches, Egler is averaging 2.60 kills while posting a .231 attack percentage, the best among all of YSU's pin hitters. Egler is also averaging 2.96 digs against league foes. Heading into league play, Egler was averaging 1.90 kills and 2.16 digs while hitting .192.
Three Finish with Double-Doubles vs. UIC
Youngstown State had three players finish with a double-double in its five-set win over UIC on Sept. 28. Alexis Egler had 11 kills and 15 digs, Missy Hundelt had 23 kills and 15 digs, and Jenna Cavanaugh posted 11 kills and 13 blocks. The last time YSU had three players finish with a double-double in the same match as Oct. 20, 2007, against Milwaukee. Outside hitters Ebony Barbosa and Jessica Fraley joined setter Karla Everhart in recording double-doubles. The last time YSU had three non-setters record a double-double in the same match was Oct. 8, 2005, at Milwaukee. Chrystal Duncan, Cari Leslie and Katie Shea all had at least 10 kills and 10 digs in that match against the Panthers.
Next Week
YSU will continue its three-match homestand next week with contests against Green Bay and Milwaukee. The Penguins will play the Phoenix on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Panthers on Saturday at 2 p.m.
