Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's Abbie Householder was named the Horizon League Player of the Year, and four Penguins received postseason awards in a vote of the conference's head volleyball coaches. The Horizon League office announced the 2025 honors on Thursday before the conference tournament begins on Friday.
Householder, a senior outside hitter from Canfield, Ohio, was also named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and All-League First Team. She was joined on the First Team by junior right-side hitter Gabriela Machin, and Kameron Blizniak and Layne Graffice were selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
"We are so proud of the conference recognition of Abbie, Gabby, Kam, and Layne!" said head coach Riley Jarrett. "These four have been a huge part of our success and growth on and off the court this season."
Householder is the program's third student-athlete to be named a conference player of the year. Jill Raslevich was the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year in 1995, and Paula Gursching earned the honor from the Horizon League in 2022. Householder was previously an all-freshman team selection in 2022 and a second-team pick in 2024, and she's the third Penguin to be an All-Horizon League selection twice.
Householder is a complete six-rotation outside hitter whose production was the driving force behind the Penguins' school-record 11 Horizon League wins, the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, an 8-1 home record in league play and their best overall record in 11 years. At the end of the regular season, she led the Horizon League with 4.14 kills and 4.67 points per set while ranking fourth with 0.31 aces per set. She also ranked ninth with a .278 hitting percentage and 12th with 3.04 digs per set, and she led the Penguins in serve receives. She was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Week, and she is the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week.
"For Abbie to receive the respect and nod from the coaches in the league for her performance is huge," Jarrett said. "She has worked so hard to get to where she is. In my opinion, she has been one of — if not the best — in the conference all year, and we are so grateful she is a Penguin."
Machin made a major leap forward as a junior to become a dominant right-side hitter. At the end of YSU's regular season, she was one of 10 Division I players in the country averaging at least 3.0 kills while also hitting at least .330. Machin ranked third in the Horizon League with a .341 hitting percentage while ranking ninth with 3.19 kills per set. Only two other players ranked among the top 10 in both categories.
Blizniak served as YSU's primary setter throughout the season as the Penguins led the Horizon League with a .255 hitting percentage during conference play and a .246 clip overall. The .246 attack percentage was the Penguins' best since 1999 and their best figure ever in rally scoring. YSU's .255 hitting percentage in Horizon League play was 41 percentage points higher than the previous school record. Blizniak ranked fifth overall in the conference with 9.23 assists per set for the season, and she improved to 10.56 assists per set in Horizon League matches.
Graffice was the only freshman in the Horizon League to average more than 2.2 kills and 2.5 digs per set, averaging 2.68 kills and 2.49 digs as a six-rotation outside hitter who played in 96 sets. She ranked 17th overall and fourth among freshmen in the Horizon League with 2.68 kills per set. She also ranked among the top 25 in hitting percentage, digs per set and points per set. She has reached double digits in kills 16 times, and she has had 10 double-doubles.
"Kameron is a big reason our team finished first in the league for our offensive efficiency," Jarrett said. "She has such a high volleyball IQ in running our offense. Layne has continued to get better and better each time she plays at this level. Gabby has stepped into a very important role for us offensively and leadership-wise this season."
In addition to the four all-league honorees, Maria Insana was selected as a finalist for the league's Sportsmanship Award for volleyball. One of the team's leaders, Insana is a member of YSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is involved in numerous organizations across campus. The Sportsmanship Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
