Youngstown State University
6-20,3-12
UIC
15-11,11-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UIC | 25 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Youngstown St. | 22 | 25 | 13 | 17 | 1 |
Gursching Posts 24 Kills as Penguins Fall in Four to Flames
11/11/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Youngstown State played some of its best volleyball of the season over the first two sets, but UIC buckled down over the final two sets to beat the Penguins 3-1 on Thursday evening at Beeghly Center. The set scores were 25-22, 18-25, 25-13, 25-17.
Youngstown State hit .318 in the match, but the hitting percentage sat at .421 after two sets when the match was tied at a set apiece. UIC hit .421 overall and .477 over the final two sets.
Penguins freshman Paula Gursching led all players with 24 kills on a .429 attack percentage, and she had nine kills in each of the first two sets. She had 18 of YSU's 31 kills through two sets, but the Flames limited the Penguins to 19 kills as a team over the final two sets.
It was Gursching's third straight match with at least 23 kills, and she has surpassed 20 kills five times in four set matches. In the last 20 years, there were just two instances when a YSU freshman had at least 20 kills in a four-set match.
Also for the Penguins Josi Borum had 38 assists, Riley Nickol had a match-high three aces, and Caitlyn Jones posted a match-best 18 digs.
Paola Santiago had 19 kills as one of three Flames with at least 14 kills, and middle blocker Becca Oldendorf had an impressive performance with 14 kills in 16 attempts to go along with six blocks.
Gursching had nine kills in 14 attempts and just one error in the opening set, but UIC was able to edge the Penguins by hitting .452 in the 25-22 win. Youngstown State led as late as 21-20 following Gursching's ninth kill, but the Flames had two aces in the final stretch as they scored five of the final six points of the set.
Youngstown State's only deficit of the second set was 1-0, and the Penguins went on an 8-1 run behind Morgan Cleevely's serve to take a 22-13 lead. YSU hit a blistering .524 in the set with 14 kills in 21 swings, and two of the attack errors came on UIC blocks. Gursching was even better in the second set with nine kills on 13 attempts with one error.
Gursching started the third set with back-to-back kills to get to 20 for the match, but UIC held her to four kills the rest of the night. The score was 7-7 following a kill by YSU's Nadia Pace, but UIC outscored the Penguins 18-6 over the rest of the set.
There were five ties and two lead changes in the early part of the fourth set, and the Penguins trailed just 15-12 after a block by Borum and Aimee Beaupre. UIC scored nine of the next 11 points to seal the win.
Youngstown State will remain home the rest of this week and will have two more matches over the next two days at Beeghly Center. The Penguins will host Green Bay on Friday at 6 p.m., and they'll wrap up the campaign on Saturday at 6 p.m. against Milwaukee.
