Youngstown State University
17-14
Oakland
21-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 18 | 17 | 16 | 0 |
| Oakland | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball's Season Ends in Tournament Semifinals at Oakland
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team saw its best season in 15 years come to a close with a 3-0 loss to Oakland in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament on Saturday. The set scores were 25-18, 25-17, 25-16.
YSU senior Shannon Watson finished with a match-high 11 kills, and fellow senior Lexi Egler posted a match-high 11 digs. The Penguins finish the season with an overall record of 17-13, which is the program's best mark since 1999. Top-seeded Oakland improves to 21-9 and advances to play second-seeded Milwaukee in the championship match on Sunday.
"Oakland played an outstanding match, and I felt we pressed a little too hard," YSU head coach Mark Hardaway said. "Last night we were very relaxed, and today we were tight."
"The hard part right now is it's tough thinking about all the great things this team accomplished. I am so appreciative of the time and effort this team gave this season. I also want to thank our two seniors, Lexi and Watson, for not only this season, but also for their entire careers. They have helped change the culture and expectations of our program."
Egler and Watson led the program to three straight winning seasons for the first time in its history and back-to-back berths in the conference tournament semifinals. The Penguins averaged 16 wins over their final three seasons after having five their freshman campaign.
Oakland's defense was too much Saturday night, though, and YSU's most-efficient offense since 1999 was held to a .040 attack percentage. The Golden Grizzles had 14 blocks in the three-set sweep.
YSU led 7-2 in the opening set, but Oakland answered with a 9-1 run to go up 12-9 and led the rest of the set. The Golden Grizzlies then scored 11 straight points in the second set to turn a 13-11 deficit into a 22-13 advantage. Oakland never trailed in the third set and scored the final seven points of the match.
Sammy Condon had 11 kills, and Cassie Pelloni and Jessica Dood had nine kills for Oakland. Amanda Baker was in on eight of the Golden Grizzlies' 14 blocks.
