Volleyball Starts Second Half of League Play with Two Big Matches this Weekend
10/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will host Green Bay and Milwaukee this weekend at Beeghly Center in two matches that will hold major implications on the Horizon League standings. The Penguins will play Green Bay on Friday at 7 p.m., and they'll play Milwaukee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available for both matches through YSUsports.com.
- Friday, Oct. 19, vs. Green Bay at 7 p.m. - Live Video | Live Stats
- Saturday, Oct. 20, vs. Milwaukee at 2 p.m. - Live Video | Live Stats
Youngstown State is currently tied with Green Bay in the standings, and both teams trail Milwaukee by one match. YSU enters the weekend with a 12-9 overall mark and a 2-5 record in Horizon League matches. Green Bay is also 2-5 (11-10 overall) in league contests, but the Phoenix currently own the tiebreaker over the Penguins by virtue of their five-set win over YSU on Sept. 22. Milwaukee is in fifth place with a 3-4 record in league play and an 8-12 overall mark. The top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the Horizon League Tournament.
The Penguins concluded the first round of conference play by losing to Cleveland State last Friday. YSU played without six-rotation player and top offensive threat Missy Hundelt in the 25-13, 25-14, 25-14 setback to the Vikings. Youngstown State also lost its previous match at Valparaiso two weeks ago. YSU has not dropped three straight matches at any point during the season up to this point.
Jenna Cavanaugh leads the Horizon League in blocks with 1.26 per set, and Hundelt's 3.26 kills per set is the fifth-best in the conference. Cavanaugh also has a .285 attack percentage, which ranks seventh in the league. Nikki Thompson's 0.30 aces per set ranks fourth in the conference, and Erika West's 3.30 digs per set is the ninth-best average. Setters Casey D'Ambrose and Erin Muir rank seventh and 10th, respectively, in assists per set.
Quick Notes from Cleveland State
- Youngstown State played without six-rotation player and top offensive threat Missy Hundelt. Kelsey Wagy took her place in the line-up and posted three kills and three digs, which were both season highs.
- Jenna Cavanaugh and Nichele Johnson combined for 10 of YSU's 25 kills and a .368 attack percentage. The other nine Penguins who had an attempt combined to hit negative-.013. All five of Johnson's kills came in the fifth set.
- Erika West posted a match-high 11 digs in three sets. She is averaging 3.68 digs per set in Horizon League play and 4.4 digs over the last three matches. West has also posted at least 10 digs in six straight matches and eight of the last nine overall.
- The Penguins recorded just one block in the match, which was a season low. YSU's previous low was three against Morehead State on Sept. 14. The Penguins had posted at least six team blocks in each of their first six Horizon League matches.
- Jenna Cavanaugh went without recording a block for the first time this season.
- Youngstown State hurt its own cause by committing 19 hitting errors and eight serving errors.
- Cleveland State hit .410 as a team in the match. The previous high by a YSU opponent this season was .305 (Milwaukee). The last team to hit higher than .410 was Central Michigan, which hit .427 at Beeghly Center on Sept. 4, 2010.
Scouting Green Bay
Green Bay finished the first round of Horizon League play by sweeping Wright State in Wisconsin last Saturday. That improved the Phoenix's record to 2-5 in conference play, which matches YSU's record. Green Bay's other league victory came against the Penguins on Sept. 22. The Phoenix also had five-set losses to Milwaukee and Loyola during the first round of league matches. Junior outside hitter Lyndsay Zabkowicz is one of four Phoenix players who average at least 2.4 kills per set. Her 2.89 kills per set is tops on the team, and middle blocker Carmen Leitermann averages 2.79 kills on a .312 attack percentage. Libero Brittany Groth ranks second in the country with 6.19 digs per set, and Katie Mroczenski is second to YSU's Jenna Cavanaugh for the Horizon League lead in blocks with 1.23 per set. Green Bay has beaten YSU seven straight times and leads the all-time series with the Penguins 24-5.
Scouting Milwaukee
Milwaukee is uncharacteristically 3-4 in the Horizon League through the first round of play. The Panthers were picked to win the league in the preseason poll, but an injury to starting setter Kayla Price has contributed to UWM's record. The Panthers have lost three of their last four matches with all three setbacks coming in five sets. Milwaukee is averaging a league-best 2.74 blocks per set in league play, and Rachel Neuberger is the reigning Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week after posting 27 blocks in nine sets last week. Julie Kolinske leads the offense with 3.91 kills per set, which ranks third in the conference. She is the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in both kills per set and digs per set. Milwaukee has defeated YSU in six straight matches and holds a 24-5 edge in the all-time series.
Up Next
Youngstown State will conclude its October schedule with matches at Loyola and UIC next weekend.
