Volleyball Starts Final Non-Conference Weekend Friday at UNC Greensboro
9/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will play its final three non-conference matches of the season this weekend at the Spartan Spiketacular, hosted by UNC Greensboro. The Penguins will play Morehead State on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday against UNC Greensboro at noon and UNC Wilmington at 4:30 p.m. Live stats and a live video stream will be available for all of YSU's matches through YSUsports.com.
The Penguins went 3-1 in four matches last week, beating Robert Morris in a midweek match and going 2-1 at the Akron Zips Invitational. YSU beat Binghamton and SIU-Edwardsville in Akron to extend its winning streak to eight before dropping a four-set decision to the Zips. Junior right-side hitter Missy Hundelt and sophomore outside hitter Alexis Egler were both named to the all-tournament team for their performances. Hundelt averaged 3.38 kills and 2.62 digs per set while posting a .287 attack percentage in the three matches. It was her third consecutive week of being named to an all-tournament team. Egler averaged 2.54 kills and 2.54 digs while hitting an efficient .316 to earn her first career all-tournament team mentioning.
The eight-game winning streak that YSU saw snapped at Akron was tied for its third-longest in school history. The Penguins also won eight consecutive matches in 1998, and they won 10 straight in 1995 and 20 in a row in 1999. More impressively, the eight wins represented more victories than YSU posted the entire past two seasons combined - two in 2010 and five in 2011.
Scouting Morehead State
Morehead State has won five of its last six matches and won matches last weekend against Savannah State, Missouri and Valparaiso. Libero Leslie Schellhaas is the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week after posting 78 digs in four matches. She was one of five Morehead State players named to the Preseason All-OVC Team. Annie Gruenschleger leads the OVC in blocks, and Ellie Roberson is second in the conference in kills. The Eagles were picked to repeat as OVC Champions in a preseason vote of the league's head coaches and media relations personnel.
Scouting UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro has lost three of its last four matches with all three losses coming in five sets, but the tournament hosts have a 4-3 record for the year. The Spartans won their first three matches before losing three of four to High Point, UNC Asheville and American. Freshman libero Katherine Santiago was named all-tournament team at the Spartan-Aggie Invitational last weekend by averaging 5.15 digs. Junior outside hitter Karrian Chambers averages a team-high 3.03 kills, and Vicky Harley averages 1.07 blocks. UNC Greensboro was picked to finish fourth in the six-team SoCon North Division. The Spartans will play Ohio on Thursday evening prior to the tournament starting on Friday.
Scouting UNC Wilmington
UNC Wilmington enters this weekend with a 6-5 record after losing to North Carolina State in five sets on Tuesday. The Seahawks have not lost two matches in a row, and they've only won two games consecutively once - the first two matches of the season. Christi Laite is averaging a team-best 3.08 kills per set, and McKenzie Keightley is the team's top blocker with 1.23 per set. The Seahawks are hitting .198 as a team but are averaging 2.14 blocks per set. UNC Wilmington was picked to finish last in the Colonial Athletic Conference's preseason coaches poll.
Up Next
Youngstown State opens Horizon League play next weekend with matches at defending conference champion Milwaukee and Green Bay.
