Youngstown State University
Northern Kentucky
Volleyball Hosts NKU on Tuesday to Begin Horizon League Schedule
9/18/2023 4:26:00 PM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will begin its 23rd season of Horizon League play with three matches in three different cities this week. The Penguins will host Northern Kentucky on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to start the conference slate, and they'll play road matches at Oakland and Cleveland State on Friday and Saturday.
Tuesday's match against the Norse will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available throughout the week.
Gameday Info
Match 1 vs. Northern Kentucky
- When: Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | International Stream
- Stats: YSUsports.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Match 2 at Oakland
- When: Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 | 6 p.m.
- Where: OU Credit Union O'rena | Rochester, Mich.
- Watch: N/A
- Stats: GoldenGrizzlies.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Match 3 at Cleveland State
- When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 | 4 p.m.
- Where: Woodling Gymnasium | Cleveland, Ohio
- Watch: N/A
- Stats: CSUVikings.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Fan Information
Recapping Last Week
Youngstown State split its two matches against a pair of Northeast Ohio rivals last week, falling 3-1 at home to Akron and winning 3-1 at Kent State to end non-conference play. The Penguins hosted the Zips at 11 a.m. as part of a School Field Trip match and had to endure a power outage lasting more than an hour. YSU then came from behind several times to beat Kent State in four sets to earn the program's first road win over the Golden Flashes.
Match 1: Thursday, Sept. 14 vs. Akron: L, 1-3 (16-25, 16-25, 25-19, 16-25) | Recap | Box Score
Match 2: Friday, Sept. 15 at Kent State: W, 3-1 (18-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21) | Recap | Box Score
- The Penguins were 0-12 previously at the M.A.C. Center against Kent State, and they had dropped five straight decisions overall to their nearest Division I rival. The Golden Flashes hit .486 in the opening set, but YSU's defense held them to .125 over the final three sets to rally. In addition to holding a 1-0 lead in the match, Kent State had leads of 17-10 and 24-22 in the second set. The Penguins then rallied again after trailing 21-16 in the third.
- Fifth-year senior/right-side hitter Josi Borum recorded the 1,000th dig of her career in YSU's match against Akron on Thursday. She enters this week 1,020 digs, which includes 229 in her true freshman season at Chicago State and 791 in three-plus seasons as a Penguin. Borum is 22 kills shy of reaching 1,000 for her career.
- Against Kent State, Borum recorded her Division-I leading third triple-double of the season. She finished with 17 kills, 17 assists and 15 digs, which tied her high for kills as a Penguin in a triple-double performance. Borum has 14 triple-doubles at YSU and 18 overall in her career.
- Dayan Malave and Julia Sell both posted 11 blocks over YSU's eight sets last week. Both players had four blocks against Akron and seven at Kent State. Sell ranks second in the Horizon League with 1.11 blocks per set, and Malave is eighth with 0.91 blocks per set. Sell recorded her 100th career block in the match against the Golden Flashes.
- As a team, the Penguins had a season-high 14 blocks against the Golden Flashes. That was their highest total in a four-set match since Nov. 11, 2017.
- Jocelyn Jourdan played in six of YSU's eight sets last week. She finished with a career-high six kills in 14 attempts against Akron, and her second career ace came on set point of the third set at Kent State.
- Jazmin Vergara had a nice bounce-back match on Friday at Kent State. She finished with 11 kills, six digs and five blocks in the four-set victory. Vergara ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 3.31 kills per set in her first campaign as a Penguin.
- Isidora Sisic led all players with 18 digs in the win at Kent State. She ranks fourth in the conference with 4.49 digs per set for the season. She surpassed 750 career digs in the Kent State contest.
- Abbie Householder finished with 10 kills in both matches last week, giving her consecutive double-digit performances for the first time this season. Householder is averaging 2.07 kills per set to go along with 2.23 digs per set.
News & Notes
A Glimpse at the Guins
Milestone Watch:
- Josi Borum needs 22 kills to reach 1,000 for her career. She had 302 kills as a freshman at Chicago State, and her total at YSU is 676. She's also 14 blocks away from 200 in her career.
- Abbie Householder needs 15 kills to reach 300, and she is 25 digs shy of 400.
- Isidora Sisic is eight digs away from reaching 750 in her Youngstown State career.
Returners Overview: Youngstown State returns nine players who appeared in at least 16 matches last season, including Second-Team All-Horizon League selection Josi Borum and Horizon League All-Freshman Team honoree Abbie Householder. Borum was a setter and right-side hitter in YSU's 6-2 offense who led the country in triple-doubles in 2022. Householder ranked third on the team in kills and digs last season as an outside hitter.
Borum is Active Triple-Double Queen: Fifth-year senior Josi Borum has posted three triple-doubles this season, bringing her career total to 18. That is 11 more than any other active Division I student-athlete. Borum had four triple-doubles as a true freshman at Chicago State in 2019, and she has 14 in her three-plus seasons at Youngstown State. In 2022, Borum had 10 triple-doubles, which was four more than any other Division I player and the fourth-most in the country regardless of division.
Vergara Impressing: Junior outside hitter Jazmin Vergara is off to an impressive start in the first two weeks of her Division I career. The transfer from Miami Dade College was an all-tournament team selection in each of the first two weeks. She averaged 3.57 kills and 2.14 digs at the DoubleTree by Hilton YSU Invitational, and she followed that up with 3.82 kills and 3.18 digs per set in Toledo. Vergara ranks third in the Horizon League with 3.31 kills per set this season, and she sits fifth with 3.74 points per set.
Coming Off Best Season Since 2014: The Penguins had their best season since 2014 last year by posting a 14-16 record and qualifying for the Horizon League Volleyball Championship for the first time in eight years. Youngstown State set a new school record with eight Horizon League wins, and those eight wins came in an 11-match stretch from Oct. 1 through Nov. 4.
An Uptick in Defense: Youngstown State is averaging 2.28 blocks per set this season, which is its highest mark since the 2014 campaign. The Penguins' previous high in Coach Aline Scott's five full seasons is 1.80 in 2018. Julia Sell is leading the group with 1.11 blocks per set, which is the highest average since 2017. The Penguins haven't had an individual average more than one block per set since Sarah Varcolla in 2018. The Penguins are averaging 15.64 digs per set, which is their highest total since 2019.
Captains: Josi Borum, Elise Moeller, Isabel Schaefbauer and Isidora Sisic will serve as team captains in 2023. Borum and Sisic are repeat captains from 2022. All four student-athletes are transfers from other Division I institutions. Borum and Sisic arrived from Chicago State, Moeller is from Evansville, and Schaefbauer came from Winthrop.
Hoping for Big Things in Year Two: The Penguins got a big boost from newcomers in 2022. Abbie Householder was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team while ranking third on the team in kills and digs last season. Dayan Malave played in all but three sets and led the team with 85 total blocks, Julia Sell was strong in the second half of the season and averaged a team-best 0.88 blocks per set, and Isabel Schaefbauer led the team with 622 assists and 5.27 assists per set. This season, Householder is averaging 2.07 kills and 2.23 digs per set, Sell leads the team with 1.11 blocks per set, Malave is averaging 0.91 blocks per set, and Schaefbauer is averaging 4.66 assists per set. Sell, Schaefbauer and Householder have each played in all 44 sets.
New Coaching Roles: There are two new assistant coaches on YSU's staff this season as Keith Lundgren and Kelly Kiger have joined the program. Additionally, Jesus Echevarria was promoted to the title of Associate Head Coach.
International Flavor: The YSU volleyball program is a melting pot of cultures with six countries being represented on the bench. Josi Borum, Kiyah Franklin, Michelle Fredrick, Abbie Householder, Maria Insana, Caitlyn Jones, Jocelyn Jourdan, Kiley Mitchell, Elise Moeller, Isabel Schaefbauer, Julia Sell and assistant coach Kelly Kiger are from the continental United States. Gabriela Machin, Dayan Malave and Associate Head Coach Jesus Echevarriahail from Puerto Rico. Additionally, Jazmin Vergara hails from Colombia, Isidora Sisic is from Serbia, Head Coach Aline Scott is from Brazil, and Assistant Coach Keith Lundgren is from Canada.
Scouting the Opponents
Northern Kentucky
- Team Overview: NKU went 5-6 in non-conference play, which included matches against Ohio State, Missouri and Louisville. The Norse had won four straight games before dropping contests to Xavier and Kennesaw State last week. NKU was picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll.
- Series History: YSU is looking for its first win in the series against the Norse, which includes 15 matches since NKU joined the Horizon League in 2015. The Penguins fell in five at NKU and lost 3-0 at home last season.
- League Rankings: The Norse rank in the top half of the Horizon League in most categories. NKU is third in hitting percentage at .207, and it ranks fourth in both blocks and aces per set.
- Individual Leaders: Abby Kanakry and Anna Burke were both First-Team All-Horizon League selections in 2022. Kanakry ranks sixth in the circuit with 3.19 kills per set, and she is eighth with a .271 attack percentage. Burke ranks fifth in digs per set with 4.48, and Skyy Smith is second in hitting percentage (.372) and blocks per set (1.10).
Oakland
- Team Overview: Oakland will begin Horizon League play with a match at Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, and the Golden Grizzlies went 6-6 in non-conference action. Oakland won in five sets at Toledo last week, and the Penguins topped the Rockets on the road in four sets earlier this season. Oakland was picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League preseason poll.
- Series History: Youngstown State is 7-20 all-time against Oakland, and the Penguins snapped a 20-match losing skid against the Golden Grizzlies with their five-set win at the O'rena last October. That victory proved to be key as YSU finished with one more league win than Oakland to grab the final slot in the Horizon League Volleyball Championship. YSU fell 3-1 to the Golden Grizzlies at home in 2022.
- League Rankings: The Golden Grizzlies pace the circuit with 17.30 digs per set, which is 1.7 more than second-place YSU and the fifth-most in the country. Oakland ranks second in the conference with 12.95 kills per set, and it also sits second with 12.07 assists per set.
- Individual Leaders: Patti Cesarini was a first-team all-conference selection a year ago, and she had a solid non-conference slate by ranking third in the league with 3.39 kills per set. Emily Wichmann leads the Horizon League with 5.20 digs per set, a mark that ranks 11th in the country.
Cleveland State
- Team Overview: Cleveland State tied for the best non-conference record in the Horizon League at 6-5, and it will play IUPUI and Robert Morris before the Penguins come to town on Saturday. The Vikings had three common non-league opponents with Youngstown State. CSU beat Akron twice but lost to Kent State 3-2, and the Vikings also dropped a three-setter to Florida Atlantic. Cleveland State was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League preseason poll.
- Series History: Cleveland State holds a 64-18 all-time record against YSU, and the Penguins ended a six-match skid with a 3-0 victory over the Vikings at Woodling Gymnasium last season. Each of YSU's last five wins in the series have come at Cleveland State or on a neutral floor.
- League Rankings: Opponents are hitting just .175 against Cleveland State this season, and the Vikings are surrendering 12.41 kills per set. Both of those rank as the second-best marks in the conference. The Vikings have been outstanding defensively, averaging a league-best 2.73 blocks per set and 15.50 digs per set, which ranks third. CSU ranks eighth in the country in total blocks entering the week.
- Individual Leaders: The Vikings have three of the top nine blockers statistically in the conference. Madison Olinger is averaging a league-best 1.13 blocks per set, which is 0.02 higher than YSU's Julia Sell, and JeriLynn Koehler (fourth - 1.09) and Ainslie McLaughlin (0.90) also rank in the top 10. Laken Voss, the 2022 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, ranks ninth in the conference with 3.08 kills per set.
Next Week
Youngstown State will play three more Horizon League matches next week, and all three will be in Beeghly Center. The Penguins will begin the busy home stretch against Wright State on Sept. 26, and they'll host Green Bay and Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
