Youngstown State University
1-3,0-0Horizon
Butler
2-2,0-0Big East
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 16 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 1 |
| Butler | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Sweeps North Dakota on First Day at Chippewa Invitational
9/3/2021 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team hit a season-best .256 to sweep North Dakota on Friday at the Chippewa Invitational in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The set scores against the Fighting Hawks were 25-13, 25-17, 25-20. YSU lost in four sets to Butler earlier in the day (25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20).
In the win over North Dakota, the Penguins had 44 kills – 11 more than the Fighting Hawks – and had just five attack errors that weren't caused by blocks. Freshman outside hitter Paula Gursching had 14 kills in 33 attempts for a .303 hitting percentage, and junior middle blocker Nadia Pace hit .467 with eight kills while contributing two blocks. Reilly Seagroves had 22 of YSU's 71 digs, and Josi Borum added 17 digs to go with her eight kills.
Lexie Beeke had 33 assists on YSU's 44 kills, and she helped run the efficient offense that hit .323 in the first set, .295 in the second set and .167 in the third. Beeke contributed three kills in nine attempts, and she added 13 digs.
Amanda Lebioda had five kills in the opening set against North Dakota, and YSU closed the opening set with a 12-2 run to win 25-13. Gursching then collected six kills in the second set, four of which came during YSU's 7-1 run to finish the stanza. The Penguins trailed 20-19 in the third set but scored the final six points of the match, the final three of which came on kills by Pace.
The Penguins improved offensively over the final two sets against Butler to set the stage for their sweep of North Dakota later in the day. YSU hit .143 and .140 over the first two sets but upped the effort to .170 in the third set and .283 in the third.
Gursching led all players with 22 kills in 62 attempts against the Bulldogs, and she added 10 digs. Seagroves posted 24 digs, and Borum had 21 as YSU registered 82 collectively.
Youngstown State will take on Central Michigan on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in its final match at the Chippewa Invitational. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
