Youngstown State University
16-9, 7-3Horizon
Valparaiso
20-6, 6-4Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso | 25 | 25 | 28 | 3 |
| Youngstown State | 17 | 23 | 26 | 0 |
Penguins Finish Weekend with Split After Losing to Valparaiso
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team committed 22 attack errors and fell short in two close sets to Valparaiso, losing 25-17, 25-23, 28-26 on Saturday evening at Beeghly Center.
Libero Nikki Thompson had a match-best 23 digs, which tied the school record for digs in a three-set match in the rally-scoring era. YSU posted 44 kills, but it was blocked 10 times and committed 12 more attack errors. Egler had a team-best 12 kills, and Aly Ryan finished with 10 on 25 attempts.
Emily Campbell had 18 kills on 56 attacks, 35 more than any other Crusader, to lead Valparaiso.
YSU and Valparaiso are now tied for third in the Horizon League with 7-4 records, and Valpo completed a season sweep. The Crusaders are 21-6 overall while the Penguins dropped to 16-10.
Valparaiso outhit the Penguins .359 to .130 and closed the opening set on a 10-3 run. Valpo then built a 15-11 lead in the second set behind a four-point run on Kelsey Berrington's serve, but YSU rallied and led 20-18 after a Thompson ace. The score was tied at 21 and 22 before Valpo prevailed. Campbell's eighth kill of the set gave Valpo a 23-22 lead, and Berrington followed with a kill. Ryan's kill saved one set point, but YSU's Val Jeffery was whistled for being in the net on the next point.
Berrington's serve keyed another four-point run for Valpo in the third set that gave the Crusaders a 17-13 advantage, and they built that up to a 23-17 lead. YSU battled to score seven of the next eight points to tie the score at 24, and the Penguins ended up staving off six match points before coming up short. After Shannon Watson's kill tied the score at 26, Valpo's Kelsey Victory blocked Watson to set up a kill by Allison Ketcham that ended the match.
Youngstown State will play at league-leading Milwaukee and at Green Bay next weekend.
