Youngstown State University
1-0,1-0Horizon
IUPUI
0-1,0-1Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IUPUI | 29 | 25 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 2 |
| Youngstown St. | 31 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Outlasts IUPUI for Five-Set Win in Season Opener
1/25/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Josi Borum had 18 kills in her Penguins debut, and Alexia Byrnes was one kill shy of a triple-double as the Youngstown State volleyball team outlasted IUPIU in a five-set marathon on Monday evening at Beeghly Center. The set scores were 31-29, 21-25, 25-27, 25-19, 15-8.
Both teams were playing their season openers, and YSU waited 436 days between matches to take the court for the victory that took 2:42 to achieve. Before tonight, the Penguins were last in action on Nov. 16, 2019.
Borum finished with 18 kills and 10 digs, and she had five kills in both the fourth and fifth sets as Youngstown State overcame a 2-1 deficit. She was the lone Penguin to reach double-digits in kills, and Byrnes and Aimee Beaupre both registered nine. Byrnes contributed a team-high 29 assists in YSU's 6-2 offense, and she also posted 14 digs. Beaupre and Borum had four blocks apiece, and Margaux Thompson had a team-high 15 digs from the libero position.
Madeline Haines posted a match-high 20 kills to lead IUPUI, which played just eight student-athletes in the match. Haines had six kills in each of the first three sets, but YSU limited her to just one kill in each of the last two sets.
The match was won at the service line. Youngstown State had 10 aces and 12 serving errors, and IUPUI had six aces and 21 serving errors.
There were 16 ties and five lead changes in the opening set, and YSU fought off four set points before prevailing 31-29. The Penguins hit .000 and .094 over the next two sets as IUPUI took a 2-1 lead in the match, but YSU did not trail in either the fourth or fifth sets. Youngstown State scored the first six points of the fourth set behind Reilly Seagroves' serve, and the only tie in the fifth set was at 3-3. Borum had two kills during a 5-1 run that put the Penguins up 8-4, and IUPUI got no closer than three points the rest of the set.
Youngstown State will try to sweep the series with IUPUI when the teams play again on Tuesday. The match will start at 6 p.m., and it will stream live on ESPN3.
