Box Score
The Youngstown State volleyball team hit .350 as a team while posting 10 blocks in a sweep of preseason Horizon League favorite Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon at Beeghly Center. The set scores were 25-19, 26-24, 29-27.
The .350 attack percentage was Youngstown State's best ever in a Horizon League match, and the 10 team blocks and 18 digs by libero Nikki Thompson keyed the defense. Sam Brown finished with 12 kills, and Lauren Thompson posted 11 kills and a .556 attack percentage. Setter Val Jeffery had 37 assists, five kills, five digs and four blocks.
Combined with a five-set win over Green Bay on Friday, Youngstown State is now 13-8 overall and 4-2 in Horizon League play, one win behind first-place Milwaukee and Oakland in the conference standings. The Panthers are now 9-8 overall and 4-1 in conference matches.
"I thought Val did a great job spreading the ball around, and our hitters did a great job finding open spots," YSU head coach Mark Hardaway said. "Because conference teams scout you so heavily, we've tried to change things up a little and do things out of character. We hit some shots today we don't normally hit, and that was a big plus. We talked about what we thought was open, and we were able to execute and get the ball there."
"Lauren and Sam both had really good days, and Nikki was huge defensively with 18 digs. All weekend I thought we did a good job of picking each other up when someone got cold, and that's very rewarding as a coach."
Youngstown State hit .484 behind seven kills in nine attempts from Brown and pulled away in the second half of the first set. Jeffery and Lauren Blanco, who filled in for an injured Shannon Watson in the first set, combined for a block to cap a three-point run that put YSU ahead 16-14, and the Penguins led the rest of the set. Another three-point run put YSU ahead 20-16, and Milwaukee got no closer than three.
"I think in the first set when Shannon went down and the team didn't fall apart was a huge factor in today's win," Hardaway said. "We didn't let that phase us."
Luck was on Youngstown State's side in the second set, and the Penguins fought off a big Milwaukee charge. Jeffery stuck her foot out to dig an attack that ended up as a Penguins kill, and Nikki Thompson had a dig that sailed over for another kill during a 7-2 run that put YSU ahead 17-10. Milwaukee scored five straight points to get back in the set, and the Panthers eventually caught the Penguins at 24-24. Lauren Thompson's kill put YSU up 25-24, and Nikki Thompson had another over pass fall for a kill on set point.
Milwaukee led for most of the third set, and its fourth four-point advantage came at 17-13 on one of Julie Kolinske's match-high 18 kills. A Kaisa Mattson kill gave the Panthers a 24-21 lead and three set points, but YSU would not be denied. Kills by Lauren Thompson, Brown and Jeffery tied the set, and YSU fended of two more set points before winning 29-27. A kill by Lexi Egler gave the Penguins their second match point, and Lauren Thompson and Watson blocked Myanna Ruiz to complete the win.
Youngstown State will play its next three matches on the road. The Penguins will play at Cleveland State on Friday at 7 p.m.
