Youngstown State University
Wright State
Volleyball Set for Three Matches in Beeghly This Week
9/25/2023 7:18:00 PM | Volleyball
The Youngstown State volleyball team will play three matches at Beeghly Center in a span of five days this week as it continues its Horizon League schedule. The Penguins will host defending conference champion Wright State on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and they'll welcome Green Bay and Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
All three matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available throughout the weekend.
Gameday Info
Match 1 vs. Wright State
- When: Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | International Stream
- Stats: YSUsports.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Match 2 vs. Green Bay
- When: Friday, Sept. 29, 2023 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | International Stream
- Stats: YSUsports.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Match 3 vs. Milwaukee
- When: Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 | 2 p.m.
- Where: Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | International Stream
- Stats: YSUsports.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Fan Information
- There is free admission for all matches at Beeghly Center in 2023
- On Tuesday, fans attending the match will receive a YSU Stadium Cup.
- Saturday will be Alumni Day as YSU welcomes back former members of its program. Alumni Day festivities will start at 1 p.m. Former student-athletes should email Head Coach Aline Scott at amscott07@ysu.edu by the end of the day on Tuesday to RSVP.
Recapping Last Week
The Youngstown State volleyball team went 1-2 last week to begin Horizon League play, and all three matches went four sets. The Penguins battled NKU, the second-ranked team in the league's preseason poll, on Tuesday in a 3-1 loss, and they won 3-1 at Oakland on Friday. YSU then fell in four sets at Cleveland State on Saturday.
In Friday's win against the Golden Grizzlies, fifth-year senior Josi Borum notched her 1,000th career kill. While that is a big enough milestone on its own, she became the first active Division I player to have 1,000 career kills while also having 1,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs.
Match 1: Tuesday, Sept. 19 vs. Northern Kentucky » L, 1-3 (16-25, 26-24, 26-28, 22-25) | Recap | Box Score Match 2: Friday, Sept. 22 at Oakland » W, 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 25-21) | Recap | Box Score Match 3: Saturday, Sept. 23 at Cleveland State » L, 1-3 (23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25) | Recap | Box Score
- Borum upped her career totals to 1,009 kills, 1,058 digs and 1,825 assists. Her milestone kill came in the fourth set in Friday's victory at Oakland. She reached 1,000 digs eight days prior in YSU's match against Akron. No other active player in the country at the Division I level has at least 1,000 in all three categories.
- YSU topped Oakland for the second straight time, and both wins came at the OU Credit Union O'rena. Before the Penguins' win there last October, Oakland had won 20 straight meetings in the all-time series.
- Abbie Householder set a new career high with 17 kills in Saturday's four-set match at Cleveland State. After three sets, Householder had 17 kills on just 33 attempts. She surpassed 300 career kills in YSU's match at Oakland on Friday.
- Householder has five double-doubles this season, and she has had at least 10 kills in five straight matches. She had a double-double in all three matches last week to begin Horizon League play, and she hit .270 with 13 kills on 37 attempts in the win at Oakland on Friday.
- Isidora Sisic averaged 5.58 digs per set last week, posting 67 over 12 sets. She surpassed 800 digs, both in her overall career and in her three-plus seasons as a Penguin. Sisic is averaging 4.73 digs per set for the season, which is 1.03 more digs per set than she did in 2022. If she can maintain that clip for the rest of the season, she would break Nikki Thompson's school record of 4.72 digs per set in the rally-scoring era that was set in 2015.
- Gabriela Machin had four blocks against both Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State to match her career high.
- Jocelyn Jourdan set a new career high with two aces at Oakland.
- Jazmin Vergara set a new career high with three aces against Northern Kentucky.
News & Notes
A Glimpse at the Guins
Milestone Watch:
- Josi Borum needs 11 blocks to reach 200 for her career.
- Isabel Schaefbauer is 116 assists from 1,000 in her Youngstown State career.
- Isidora Sisic is nine aces from reaching 100 in her 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 four triple-doubles this season, bringing her career total to 19. That is 12 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 15 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. She has been one kill away from additional triple-doubles four times.
All-Tournament Team Selections:
- Josi Borum: Toledo Invitational, Owls Paradise Classic
- Jazmin Vergara: DoubleTree By Hilton YSU Invitational, Toledo Invitational
Vergara Impressing: Junior outside hitter Jazmin Vergara leads the Penguins with 146 kills and 3.11 kills per set in her first season as a Division I student-athlete. The transfer from Miami Dade College was an all-tournament team selection in each of the first two weeks of the season. She currently ranks eighth in the Horizon League with her 3.11 kills per set, and she is seventh in points and 15th in digs. 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 Blocking: Youngstown State is averaging 2.28 blocks per set this season, which is its highest mark since the 2016 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 1.13 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.
Sisic Leading Back Row Defense: The Penguins are averaging 16.14 digs per set, which is their highest total since 2019. Libero Isidora Sisic is leading that group with 4.73 digs per set, which is the most by a Penguin since Jill Raslevich led the country with 4.95 digs per set in 1995. Sisic has had at least nine digs in every match, and she has had recorded 20-or-more digs seven times.
Road-Heavy Stretch Awaits: After this week's three matches, Youngstown State will have played eight of its first 17 matches in Beeghly Center. However, the Penguins will be home just twice in October while playing seven matches on the road. The month will start with four consecutive road matches at Purdue Fort Wayne (Oct. 6), IUPUI (Oct. 7), Robert Morris (Oct. 13) and Wright State (Oct. 17). The Penguins are an impressive 5-4 this season in road and neutral site matches, and that is a trend that has carried over from 2022. Last season, the Penguins were 7-6 in road matches and 2-2 on neutral courts.
Hoping for Big Things in Year Two: The Penguins got a big boost from newcomers in 2022, and their hope is that each will continue to take a big step forward in 2023. This season, Abbie Householder, a Horizon League All-Freshman pick in 2022, is averaging 2.38 kills and 2.57 digs per set. Julia Sell leads the team with 1.13 blocks per set, Dayan Malave is averaging 0.85 blocks per set, and Isabel Schaefbauer is averaging 4.68 assists per set. Sell, Schaefbauer and Householder have each played in all 44 sets.
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.
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, 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
Wright State
- Team Overview: Wright State has 3-1 victories over Robert Morris and Northern Kentucky to start Horizon League play, and the Raiders are 6-7 overall this season. Wright State was the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League after winning three regular season titles and two tournament crowns since 2019. The Raiders have won 26 straight Horizon League matches and haven't dropped a conference contest since Oct. 28, 2021, against UIC.
- Series History: Wright State is 40-12 all-time against the Penguins, and YSU will be aiming to stop a six-match slide to the Raiders. Youngstown State's last victory against Wright State came on Sept. 18, 2018, at Beeghly Center.
- League Rankings: Wright State leads the conference with 13.04 kills and 12.15 assists per set, and opponents are averaging under one ace per set against the Raiders. WSU also ranks in the top five in aces (third), digs (fourth) and blocks (fifth) per set.
- Individual Leaders: Megan Alders leads the Raiders offensively with 3.31 kills per set, and four other Wright State players are averaging more than two kills per set. Katie Meyer leads the Horizon League with 9.64 assists per set, and Jenny Wessling is second in the conference with 5.06 digs per set.
Green Bay
- Team Overview: Green Bay is 4-10 overall and 2-0 in Horizon League play after earning back-to-back, five-set victories against Purdue Fort Wayne and IUPUI over the weekend. The win over the Mastodons on Friday snapped a nine-match skid for the Phoenix that dated back to the opening weekend of the season. Green Bay was picked to finish third in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.
- Series History: Green Bay holds a 41-9 advantage in the all-time series, and the Phoenix have won 13 straight decisions. Last season, the Penguins lost 3-1 in Green Bay and 3-1 in the opening round of the conference tournament. YSU's last win in the series came on Oct. 24, 2015,
- League Rankings: Green Bay ranks second in the Horizon League with 1.75 aces per set. It ranks 10th in the conference in both kills and assists per set, and it is ninth in digs per set.
- Individual Leaders: Green Bay has three players averaging between 2.3 and 2.8 kills per set this season. Cora Behnke leads the Phoenix with 2.77 kills, and Marquette transfer Hannah Vanden Berg is averaging 2.69 kills and 0.42 assists per set. Tiffany Paalman is averaging 2.37 kills and 0.78 blocks per set.
Milwaukee
- Team Overview: Milwaukee is 10-6 overall after winning nine of its last 11 matches. The Panthers swept both IUPUI and Purdue Fort Wayne last week by an average score of 25-15.3. Milwaukee was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Series History: Youngstown State and Milwaukee split its two contests last season with each team winning in four sets on its home floor. Overall, the Panthers are 38-10 all-time in the series.
- League Rankings: Milwaukee leads the Horizon League by a large margin with a .245 attack percentage, and it hit .326 combined in the two matches over the weekend. The Panthers also rank among the top four in the conference in assists, kills and blocks per set.
- Individual Leaders: Fifth-year senior Ari Miller leads the conference with a .402 attack percentage and blocks per set (1.18) while also ranking fifth with 3.19 kills per set. Madi Malone and Natalie Schmitz are also averaging more than 2.7 kills per set, and Sarah Schrader ranks eighth in the conference with 4.11 digs per set.
Next Week
Youngstown State will begin a road-heavy October by playing two matches in Indiana next week. The Penguins will begin the trip through the Hoosier State on Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at Purdue Fort Wayne, and they'll play on Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. at IUPUI.
