Youngstown State University
3-8,0-0
Oakland
6-5,0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 25 | 25 | 27 | 3 |
| Youngstown St. | 20 | 16 | 25 | 0 |
Penguins Drop Horizon League Opener to Oakland
9/24/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team fell in straight sets to Oakland on Friday evening at Beeghly Center in the Horizon League opener for both teams. The set scores were 25-20, 25-16, 27-25.
Paula Gursching reached double figures in kills for the 12th straight match with 13 terminations, and she added four aces. Cheyenne Hlady assisted on all six YSU blocks to lead the defensive effort, and Reilly Seagroves had 16 digs.
Jamie Walling had a match-high 17 kills, and Lindsay Wightman had 33 digs to lead Oakland. Wightman had 13 digs in each of the first two sets, and only two players in the country had at least 33 digs in a three-set match heading into the weekend.
Both teams had their best attack percentage in the opening set as Oakland hit .318 and YSU countered with a .213. Gursching and Walling both had seven kills, but the Golden Grizzlies had an 18-12 edge collectively and scored 10 of the final 15 points of the set.
Oakland then went on a 10-1 run in the second set on its way to a 25-16 win, and it held the Penguins to six kills in 38 swings. YSU called a quick timeout after Oakland took a 2-0 lead in the third set, and the Penguins responded by jumping out to an 11-6 advantage. The Golden Grizzlies tied the score at 14 as YSU had four straight attack errors, but YSU didn't trail until 23-22. Youngstown State saved three match points before a kill by Jessica Riedl and an ace from Walling ended the match.
Youngstown State will try to split the weekend as it hosts Cleveland State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
