Youngstown State University
14-10, 4-6Horizon
Loyola Chicago
15-8, 7-3Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 25 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 15 | 3 |
| Loyola | 18 | 25 | 18 | 26 | 12 | 2 |
Volleyball Holds On for Five-Set Win at Loyola
10/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Chicago -- The Youngstown State volleyball team posted a team attack percentage of .250 and got 15 kills from Missy Hundelt in a five-set victory (25-18, 20-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-12) at Loyola on Friday at Gentile Arena.
Shannon Watson added 12 kills on a .409 attack percentage, and Alexis Egler's 11 kills and 10 digs represented the match's only double-double.
Jenna Cavanaugh added six kills and six blocks, and Nichele Johnson and Kelsey Wagy came off the bench to combine for 11 kills and five blocks.
Loyola's Anna Eytchison led all players with 26 kills, and Ramblers libero Stephanie Kinane posted a match-high 18 digs. Eytchison, Laura Purcell and Kathleen Vogel combined for 50 of Loyola's 61 kills.
The Penguins improved to 14-10 overall and 4-6 in Horizon League play while the Ramblers dropped to 15-8 overall and 7-3 in conference play. Loyola entered the evening in sole possession of second place in the league standings. YSU's 14 wins are tied for the most since the Penguins won 14 matches in 2000.
"I'm very proud of the team because getting a five-set win on the road over a quality team is very difficult," YSU head coach Mark Hardaway said. "We have been competitive all season, and it felt really good to get the win."
"The team did a great job adjusting to some line-up changes we made tonight," Hardaway added. "Missy and Shannon did a great job offensively along with Nichele and Kelsey off the bench. Jenna had another good night blocking, and both setters did a nice job mixing up the offense. It was a great team effort."
The match featured arguably the two most-improved teams in the country. Loyola's 11-win improvement from last season is the best in the nation, and YSU's nine-win improvement is the second-best.
YSU closed out the first set on an 8-2 run to win 25-18, but the Penguins saw Loyola pull away late in the second to win 25-20. A 9-3 run helped turn a 14-13 lead into an insurmountable 23-16 advantage for the Penguins in the third set.
The Penguins led 12-9 in the fourth set before Loyola went on a 12-3 run to go up 21-15. YSU rallied to tie the set at 22-22 on a kill by Wagy, and the Penguins saved one set point before a Maureen Carls kill gave the Ramblers a 26-24 win.
Loyola went up 4-2 in the fifth set after back-to-back kills by Eytchison, but kills by Hundelt and Johnson and a block of Eytchison allowed YSU to go up 5-4. Loyola tied the score at 5-5, and YSU led by as many as four before the Ramblers tied the set again at 11. Wagy had a kill to give the Penguins a side out, and YSU finished the match by scoring four of the final five points. Hundelt had a kill to make it 13-11, and Eytchison hit long to put the Penguins up 14-11. Purcell posted a kill to prolong the match, but Watson, Wagy and Hundelt came up with a triple block of Eytchison on the next point.
Youngstown State will try for a weekend sweep when it plays at UIC on Saturday at 5 p.m.
