Youngstown State's volleyball team will host three Horizon League matches on its home floor this week as the calendar flips from September to October and conference play continues. The Penguins will welcome Robert Morris for its first league match of the season at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and they'll host Northern Kentucky at 5 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Live stats will be available for each match this week on Rosselli Court, and Tuesday's and Friday's events will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Fans coming to Saturday's match must follow the parking guidelines and prices for YSU Football game days. Visit the Youngstown State Football Gameday page for more information.
Parking information and campus map
Gameday Guide | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android
Match 1 vs. Robert Morris
Match 2 vs. Northern Kentucky
Match 3 vs. Northern Kentucky
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State is 5-8 this season and enters this week looking to snap a four-match losing streak. Two weeks ago, YSU lost 3-1 to Akron and 3-2 to Kent State on its home floor, and the Penguins fell twice in four sets at Green Bay to open Horizon League play last week.
- All five Horizon League series last weekend were sweeps, meaning YSU is in a five-way tie with a 0-2 league mark. Robert Morris and Northern Kentucky were both 2-0 last week, as the Colonials won twice at Purdue Fort Wayne and the Norse swept Cleveland State at home.
- Abbie Householder continues to be one of the top six-rotation players in the Horizon League. The senior outside hitter ranks fourth in the conference with 3.53 kills per set and 10th with 2.89 digs per set. She is the only player in the league to rank among the top 10 in both categories, and she is one of six active players in the country with more than 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
- YSU's roster will look very different from when the Penguins and Colonials played last season. The Penguins have started at least four newcomers in every match, and there are 10 newcomers overall on the roster.
- YSU has one of the youngest rosters in the country in 2025. The group of 17 student-athletes includes seven true freshmen, two redshirt freshmen and three sophomores. Householder, Gabriela Machin, Julia Sell and Maria Insana are the only players who have been with the program more than two years.
- Machin is off to the best start of her career, averaging 2.92 kills per set while posting a .314 attack percentage. She already has more kills than she had in 2024, and she has posted at least 10 kills in 11 of YSU's 13 matches.
- Youngstown State led the Horizon League with a .231 hitting percentage during non-conference play. YSU has hit .186 or better in 11 of its first 13 matches, and it has been above .200 eight times. The Penguins hit .165 last season and were over .200 six times.
Upcoming Milestones
- Kameron Blizniak is seven assists shy of reaching 400 this season.
- Bianca Giglio needs two digs to collect 400 in her career.
- Brie Habeeb is 11 digs shy of reaching 200 this season. Only 10 true freshmen have reached 250 digs at YSU.
- Abbie Householder needs 12 digs to become the 15th Penguin to reach 1,100 career digs.
- Taya Nordmann is closing in on 200 blocks in her career, needing 22 to reach the milestone.
Horizon League Individual Leaders (Top 10)
- Kameron Blizniak - 6th in assists per set (7.42)
- Brie Habeeb - 7th in digs per set (3.86); 10th in aces per set (0.27)
- Abbie Householder - 3rd in points per set (4.01); 4th in kills per set (3.53); 10th in digs per set (2.89)
- Niyah Lester - 8th in blocks per set (0.93)
- Gabriela Machin - 4th in hitting percentage (.314); 10th in kills per set (2.92)
- Taya Nordmann - 6th in blocks per set (0.95); 8th in aces per set (0.27)
Quick Facts & Preseason Notes
Recapping Last Week
Results
YSU scores are listed first
Sept. 26 at Green Bay » L, 1-3 (26-24, 20-25, 20-25, 25-27) | Box Score | Recap
Sept. 27 at Green Bay » L, 1-3 (16-25, 25-15, 11-25, 33-35) | Box Score | Recap
Notes
- Kameron Blizniak registered six aces and just one serving error in the two matches last week. She added 8.25 assists and 2.75 digs per set, and she posted two double-doubles.
- Abbie Householder led YSU with 30 kills last weekend and became the seventh Penguin to surpass 1,100 in a career. She averaged 3.75 kills on a .215 attack percentage while adding 2.75 digs per set at Green Bay.
- Maria Insana averaged 3.75 digs per set and went over 400 career digs. She enters this week having posted 46 digs over her last three matches (3.53 per set).
- Taya Nordmann led the team with 0.88 blocks per set, and she had seven blocks to go along with six kills in Friday's match at Green Bay.
- Presley Stokes set new career highs and posted her first career double-double with 18 kills and 13 digs in Saturday's match against the Phoenix. She made the first two starts of her career in Green Bay.
- Fourteen different Penguins played at least one set last week, and nine of them appeared in a Horizon League match for the first time in their careers.
- Youngstown State continued its trend of playing at least four sets in a match. After going three sets in four of their first five matches, the Penguins have played at least four sets eight straight times.
Scouting This Week's Opponents
Robert Morris
- Record: 6-7 overall; 2-0 in Horizon League play; winners of five straight matches
- Last Week: Won 3-1 twice at Purdue Fort Wayne
- Horizon League Preseason Poll: Tied for 8th of 10
- Statistical Leaders:
- Kills - Jocelyn Jourdan (3.36 per set)
- Assists - Kaitlyn Brown (6.82 per set)
- Aces - Addyson Butts (0.63 per set)
- Digs - Jasmine Purakal (4.20 per set)
- Blocks - Keira Hornung (1.34 per set)
Northern Kentucky
- Record: 6-7 overall; 2-0 in Horizon League play
- Last Week: Won 3-1 vs. Cleveland State; Won 3-0 vs. Cleveland State
- Horizon League Preseason Poll: 6th of 10
- Statistical Leaders:
- Kills - Allison Risley (2.94 per set)
- Assists - Abby Pickard (9.26 per set)
- Aces - Risley (0.49 per set)
- Digs - Lucy Cluxton (4.73 per set)
- Blocks - Ivey Stocks (1.16 per set)
Up Next
Youngstown State will play its next four matches on the road, starting with two contests at Wright State on Oct. 10-11.
