Youngstown State University
5-20,2-12
Robert Morris
9-17,2-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Morris | 25 | 12 | 20 | 22 | 1 |
| Youngstown St. | 20 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Gursching Breaks Two Records as Penguins Top Colonials 3-1
11/5/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Youngstown State freshman phenom Paula Gursching broke two school records for kills to lead the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over Robert Morris on Friday evening at Beeghly Center. The set scores were 20-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-22.
Gursching set the school record for most kills in a season by a freshman during the third set, topping Ruth Boscaljon's previous record of 363 that had stood since 2006. Gursching then broke the school record for most kills in a four-set, rally-scoring match with 27. The previous mark was set in 2003 by Colleen Royer.
Gursching's 27th kill came on match point, and it capped an impressive four-set win by the Penguins. YSU had a 57-40 edge in kills, a 69-53 advantage in digs and one-point leads in aces and blocks.
Gursching's 27 kills came on just 57 attempts, and she had just five errors for an efficient .431 attack percentage. The 27 kills are the most in a four-set match by a Horizon League player this season, and they are tied for the 25th-most nationally in a four-set affair. Amanda Lebioda contributed 13 kills in 25 attempts while hitting .360, and that duo helped the Penguins post a .259 mark as a team.
Defensively, setter Josi Borum had a team-high 15 digs to go along with 47 assists, and Borum also tied Morgan Cleevely for the team lead with three aces. Nadia Pace registered a match-best five blocks.
Emma Granger had 11 kills and three blocks to lead the Colonials.
Robert Morris went 14-for-20 on sideout chances in the first set, and the Colonials built a 21-12 lead. The Penguins went on a run to get within three at 22-19, and, although RMU held on to win 25-20, the late spurt set the tone for the final three sets. YSU went on to hit at least .308 over each of the final three stanzas.
After having six kills in the opening set, Gursching had 10 kills in 15 swings in the second set. She had five kills in the first seven points, and her 11th kill of the match gave the Penguins a 7-0 lead. Her first error of the night didn't come until her 19th attempt. Youngstown State cruised to a 25-12 win in the second set to even the match, and Gursching had 16 of YSU's 26 kills through the first two sets.
Gursching passed Boscaljon on her 20th kill of the night that put the Penguins ahead 13-9 in the third set. Gursching and Borum combined for four straight kills to close out the set once RMU rallied to get within 21-20.
Robert Morris built an 8-5 lead in the fourth set, but a Gursching kill gave the Penguins a sideout and sparked an 8-0 run. Behind Aimee Beaupre's serve and seven kills, YSU built a 13-8 lead that it would never lose. The Colonials got within two three different times, but YSU answered with a kill by Lebioda at 19-17, a kill by Pace at 23-21 and a kill by Gursching at 24-22.
Youngstown State will finish the regular season with three matches in a three-day span next week at Beeghly Center. The busy stretch will start on Thursday at 6 p.m. against UIC.
