Youngstown State University
10-21, 4-12HL
UIC
12-19, 5-11HL
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 29 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| UIC | 27 | 14 | 19 | 0 |
Thompson Sets Digs Records as Volleyball Sweeps UIC
11/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Senior Nikki Thompson set a pair of school digs records in her final career match, and the Youngstown State volleyball team ended the 2015 season on a high note with a sweep at UIC on Saturday. The set scores were 29-27, 25-14, 25-19.
Thompson registered 26 digs, which was the most by a Penguin in a three-set match in the rally-scoring era. That helped her break her own school record for digs in a season, upping her total in 2015 to 510.
Lori Vanbeek had 12 kills on a .478 attack percentage to pace YSU's offense, and she posted a match-high four blocks for the Penguins, who finished the season with a 10-21 overall record and a 4-12 mark in conference play. Aly Ryan had seven kills, Lauren Thompson had five, and Jessie Gerig had a pair of aces and seven digs in their final match.
"I'm really proud of how the team bounced back after last night's loss at Valparaiso," YSU head coach Mark Hardaway said. "Our players wanted to send the seniors off with a win, and we played with great energy. So many people stepped up tonight. I'm very happy for Nikki for playing really well as she set the school record for digs. Aly played on a sprained ankle and did a terrific job. Lauren and Jessie played well, and tonight may have been Lori's best night of the year. We had a total team effort from both the players on the floor and the bench."
There were 16 ties and seven lead changes in the first set, and YSU fought off a set point and had four of its own before prevailing 29-27. Sam Brown's kill tied the score at 24-24, and Ryan's third kill of the set came on the final point. Vanbeek had six of her kills in the opening set, and they came on just eight attempts.
Keyed by Gerig's serve, Youngstown State went on a 10-1 run in the second set to go up 14-5. Vanbeek had two kills and a pair of blocks, and Brown two kills and an ace in the run. After YSU got up 14-5, UIC got no closer than 16-10.
The third set was within three points until Youngstown State used a 10-2 run to go up 24-15. Vanbeek had two kills and a solo block during that stretch.
