Youngstown State University
1-2,0-0Horizon
Saint Francis (Pa.)
0-3,0-0NEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Francis (PA) | 25 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 1 |
| Youngstown St. | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Gursching's 23 Kills Power Penguins to 3-1 Win Over Saint Francis U
8/28/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Paula Gürsching had the most kills by a Penguin in a four-set match in a decade, and the Youngstown State volleyball team got its first win of the 2021 season with a 3-1 victory over Saint Francis U on Saturday at Beeghly Center.
The set scores against the Red Flash were 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-17. The Penguins finished the season-opening YSU / DoubleTree-Youngstown Volleyball Invitational with a 1-2 record.
Gürsching had kills on nearly 55 percent of her swings, finishing with 23 kills on 42 attempts while posting a .381 attack percentage. That was the most kills by a YSU player in a four-set affair since Missy Hundelt had 23 kills at Chicago State on Oct. 29, 2011. The freshman outside hitter from Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany, added 12 digs for her first career double-double on Saturday. She was YSU's representative on the all-tournament team after averaging 4.6 kills per set in the Penguins' three matches.
Reilly Seagroves had a match-high 16 digs, and Morgan Cleevely had four aces and eight digs. Josi Borum, Aimee Beaupre and Nadia Pace each had two blocks apiece, and Lexie Beeke registered 39 assists to go along with four kills from the setter position. With Beeke running the offense, YSU hit .377 over the final two sets.
The Red Flash took the opening set 25-21, but Gürsching got off to a strong start with seven kills. She had six kills in the second set as YSU evened the match with a 25-19 win, and the Penguins' entire offense was hot the final two stanzas. The Penguins hit .308 and jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the third set, and they hit .444 with 14 kills in the fourth. YSU trailed 10-8 in the fourth set but scored seven straight points as part of a 14-4 run that gave it a 22-14 advantage.
Youngstown State will compete at the Chippewa Invitational next weekend at Central Michigan. The Penguins will take on Butler and North Dakota on Friday before playing the host Chippewas on Saturday.
