Youngstown State University
Northern Illinois
10/22/2026 12:32:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown State looks to stay on its recent hot streak this week as it hosts Horizon League newcomer Northern Illinois inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center for a pair of matches. The Penguins will hold their annual Pink Night on Friday at 6 p.m., and YSU and NIU will play again on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on YSUsports.com.
The Week Ahead
Match 1 vs. NIU
- When: Friday, Oct. 23 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Promotion: Pink Night
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 2 vs. NIU
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24 | 2 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Promotion: Joanie Abdu 3D Mobile Mammography Unit Tours
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Note: Fans may need to make alternate parking plans for Saturday's match. The M-81 lot between the Watson and Tressel Training Site and Stambaugh Stadium will be closed due to Penguin Preview Day, which is scheduled to concluded around 1 p.m. For parking options, visit YSU's campus map.
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State has won four of its last five matches and is 5-2 in October after going 2-0 at Cleveland State last weekend. Since dropping its Horizon League opener to conclude September, YSU has gone 1-1 against IU Indy, 1-0 against RMU, 1-1 against Purdue Fort Wayne and 2-0 versus Cleveland State.
- With the Penguins having reached the midpoint of their Horizon League schedule, they are 5-3 in the conference and tied for fourth place in the standings with Purdue Fort Wayne. They have three matches remaining against teams above them in the standings and five against teams below them in the standings. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season advance to the Horizon League Volleyball Championship on Nov. 19-22.
- Five of YSU's eight remaining matches are at home, where the Penguins are 5-2 this season and 17-6 in their last 23 matches.
- Youngstown State leads the Horizon League and ranks 27th in the country with 1.89 aces per set. The Penguins have posted at least nine aces nine times, and they set a school record for most aces in a Horizon League match with 16 at Cleveland State on Oct. 17. YSU's current school record for aces per set in a season in the 25-point rally-scoring era is 1.62.
- Junior outside hitter Kylie Surratt ranks among the top six players in the Horizon League in aces (0.42), points (4.09) and kills (3.53) per set. The UT-Martin transfer has reached double digits in kills 16 times, highlighted by a 34-kill effort against Marshall on Sept. 5.
- The Penguins have two additional hitters averaging at least 2.1 kills per set — Graffice and Ava Stratton. Graffice, a sophomore outside hitter, is averaging 2.51 kills per set, and Stratton, a sophomore right-side hitter, is averaging 2.19 kills per set.
- Eight letterwinners and five players who started at least 14 matches return from last season's squad that went 17-14 overall while winning a school-record 11 Horizon League matches. Three of those returners — Kameron Blizniak, Layne Graffice and Abbie Householder — earned all-conference accolades in 2025. YSU was picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League preseason poll.
Scouting NIU
Record: 7-11 Overall // 1-7 Horizon League // 2-6 Home // 2-4 Away // 3-1 Neutral
Last Week: NIU lost its two matches last week to the Horizon League's Wisconsin schools, falling 3-0 at home to Milwaukee and 3-1 at Green Bay. Ava Grevengoed led the Huskies in scoring with 4.0 points per set. Milwaukee hit .435 in its match against NIU.
Horizon League Preseason Poll: 7th of 11
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Ava Grevengoed (2.97 per set)
Assists — Viktoria Djukic (5.54 per set)
Aces — Viktoria Djukic (0.28 per set)
Digs — Charlotte Gramzow (3.31 per set)
Blocks — Autumn Flynn (0.81 per set)
Notes: NIU is in its first season competing in the Horizon League, and its first eight conference matches have been against four of the top five teams in the League's preseason poll. The Huskies rank sixth or higher in the conference in aces, digs and kills per set as a team. Junior outside hitter Ava Grevengoed leads NIU with 2.97 kills per set, and Katie Pahl and Autumn Flynn both average more than 2.2 kills per set. Sondra D'Amore is in her fourth season as the Huskies' head coach.
Series History
Overall: NIU leads 5-0 // Current Win Streak: Five by NIU // Last 10: 0-5
Home: 0-2 // Away: 0-3 // Neutral: 0-1 // Jarrett (career): 0-0
Youngstown State and NIU are playing for just the sixth and seventh time in program history this weekend and for the first time since 2010. The teams haven't competed in Youngstown since 1993, when both programs were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. The Penguins and Huskies met four times in Mid-Con matches during the 1992 and 1993 seasons, and the 2010 contest at NIU is the only meeting since. The Huskies have won all 15 sets in the series.
Recapping Last Week
The Penguins won both matches against their Northeast Ohio conference rivals, topping the Vikings 3-2 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday. YSU trailed 2-0 in Friday's reverse sweep when three of the five sets were decided by two points. On Saturday, the closest set was 25-18, and the Penguins won 3-1.
In Friday's match, Cleveland State used an 8-1 run to end the second set to go up 2-0 in the match, and the Vikings jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third, looking to sweep the Penguins. YSU answered with a 13-4 burst to go up 14-10 behind Kylie Surratt's serve, and it remained ahead the rest of the set. The Penguins rallied from another 6-1 deficit in the fourth set and fought off a match point to win 27-25, and they did not trail in the fifth.
After 29 ties and 14 lead changes on Friday, Saturday's match had just four lead changes, as every set was decided by between seven and 10 points.
The Penguins had 16 aces against the Vikings, their most ever in a Horizon League match. The previous high was 14, set at UIC on Nov. 12, 2005, and tied at IU Indy on Oct. 29, 2022. The 16 aces tied for YSU's third-most in the 25-point, rally scoring era, and they were the most since the Penguins had a school record 24 against Duquesne in a match at Kent State on Sept. 17, 2021.
Four Penguins combined for the 16 aces. Wrigley Takats and Layne Graffice had six aces apiece to tie the school record for individual aces in a Horizon League match. Each of the previous three Penguins with six aces in a Horizon League match did it in five sets. Juliana Rivera and Kylie Surratt added two aces apiece.
The 16 aces are the most in any Horizon League match since Nov. 10, 2023, and Norfolk State is the only team in the country to have more than 16 aces in a four-set match this season. Youngstown State joins Norfolk State, Rider, Middle Tennessee and Cornell as teams with at least 16 aces in a four-set match in 2026.
Abbie Householder had her best week offensively this season, finishing with 28 kills on a .267 attack percentage in the two victories. She posted her two highest kill totals in 2026, recording 13 in the five-set win on Friday and 15 in the four-set victory on Saturday. She surpassed 1,500 career kills in Friday's match, extending her program record for career kills. She also moved past 1,400 career digs.
Householder is one of nine active Division I players with more than 1,500 career kills.
Surratt had another strong week for the Penguins, averaging 3.11 kills per set on a .302 attack percentage while adding 0.67 aces per set. She surpassed 800 career kills and 500 career digs last week.
Wrigley Takats had nine aces in nine sets last week at Woodling Gymnasium. She is averaging a league-best 0.55 aces per set since the start of conference play. She did not have any aces in her career until this month. Additionally, Takats recorded her 100th career block last week.
Penguins In Depth
- Sophomore Kameron Blizniak needs four aces to reach 50 in her career.
- Sophomore Brie Habeeb is four digs shy of 400 for her career.
- Sophomore Izzy Henry needs 13 kills to record 100 for her career.
- Junior Ava Prince is seven assists away from 300 in her career.
- Sophomore Ava Stratton is 25 kills from 200 in her career. She has 162 of the 175 in her career this season.
- Junior Kylie Surratt needs three blocks to reach 100 in her career.
News & Notes
Home Success
Youngstown State is on an impressive run at home, having gone 17-6 over its last 23 matches inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins won their last two matches of 2024, went 10-4 in 2025 and are 5-2 to start the 2026 campaign. Last year's 10 victories tied the 1999 team for the most in a season in program history. Youngstown State is 20-12 overall at home in Riley Jarrett's two-plus seasons as head coach. The Penguins had 23 home wins combined in the eight seasons prior to her arrival.
Aces Rate on Record Pace
As YSU enters the final third of the regular season, the Penguins are on track to have their best season at the service line in the NCAA's current scoring format. Youngstown State is averaging 1.89 aces per set through its first 17 matches, which is the most since 2001. YSU's best rate since rally scoring switched to 25 points in 2008 was 1.62 aces per set in 2022. The Penguins averaged 1.43 aces per set in 2025.
The Penguins have had two notable performances in their serving game this season. As a team, YSU's 14 aces against Mercyhurst in the season opener were the most in program history in a three-set, rally-scoring match, surpassing the previous mark of 11 at Canisius in 2022. On Oct. 17 at Cleveland State, YSU set a school record for most aces in a Horizon League match with 16.
Householder Returns After Record-Breaking 2025
Abbie Householder returns to the Penguins as a fifth-year senior after a record-breaking 2025 campaign. The outside hitter from nearby Canfield, Ohio, is YSU's career record holder with 1,517 kills and one of six players in program history with at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. She ranks ninth in the country among all active Division I players in career kills. Householder's 1,417 digs rank second in YSU's career chart, 78 away from Jill Raslevich's record of 1,495 that was set from 1992-95 in sideout scoring. Among her long list of accomplishments in 2025, she was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, the Horizon League Player of the Year, the YSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year and the Horizon League Female Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Season.
Surratt Among League Leaders
Kylie Surratt has become one of the top players in the Horizon League in her first season at Youngstown State. A junior outside hitter who transferred from UT-Martin in January, Surratt currently ranks fifth in the Horizon League with 4.09 points per set. Additionally, she ranks sixth in the conference with 3.53 kills per set and second with 0.42 aces per set. Her previous career highs came as a freshman for the Skyhawks when she averaged 2.98 kills and 3.34 points per set. Surratt's best match came against Marshall on Sept. 5 when she had 34 kills on 71 attempts in a five-setter. That was the highest kill total in the country that week and one kill shy of the YSU record.
Blizniak Notches 1,500th Assist
Sophomore Kameron Blizniak became the 11th setter in Youngstown State history to surpass 1,500 career assists in YSU's match against RMU on Oct. 6. She had 1,116 assists as a freshman last season as the Penguins ran primarily a 5-1 offense, and she has 497 this season in a predominantly 6-2 offense. Blizniak's career total entering this week is 1,613, and Josi Borum occupies the 10th spot on YSU's all-time list with 1,667 career assists.
Stratton Showing Improvement
Ava Stratton has made the biggest jump from last season among Youngstown State's returners. The sophomore right-side hitter is averaging 2.19 kills and 0.50 blocks per set while hitting .233 after 19 matches. In 2025, Stratton had 13 kills and one block over 13 sets. She began the season by hitting a school record .857 with 12 kills on 14 attempts without an error in a sweep of Mercyhurst. She has reached double digits in kills seven times.
Lineup Spark After Bye Week
YSU had a nine-day break between its Horizon League opener on Sept. 22 and its second match on Oct. 2. YSU made a rotation change during that nine-day break, moving Wrigley Takats from the right side to the middle, adding Abbie Householder into the lineup at outside hitter, and switching Kylie Surratt to the right side in Takats' previous spot. Hayden Rodriguez also moved into the lineup as a setter when YSU uses the 6-2 offense. YSU has a 5-2 record since the lineup adjustments were made.
Building on Last Season's Success
Youngstown State is a driven group with a large core of players returning from last season's squad that moved the program from last in the Horizon League preseason poll to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. Eight letterwinners and five players who started at least 14 matches last season are back with a mission to take another step forward in the third season under head coach Riley Jarrett. Three of those returners — Kameron Blizniak, Layne Graffice and Abbie Householder — earned All-Horizon League accolades in 2025.
The Penguins went 17-14 overall while winning a school-record 11 Horizon League matches in 2025, and they advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship for the first time since 2014. The 11 conference wins were the second most in program history and the most since the 1999 squad was 13-1 in the Mid-Continent Conference. YSU's highest win total in its first 24 years in the Horizon League was eight, set in 2022. Youngstown State was particularly strong inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center in 2025, posting a 10-4 record to tie the program record from 1999.
Four Comprise Leadership Group
Youngstown State has a junior and three sophomores as its leaders this season, as junior Ava Prince and sophomores Kameron Blizniak, Layne Graffice and Brie Habeeb comprise the leadership team. The group was elected by their teammates, and each member of the quartet is in a leadership role for the first time.
Penguins Slotted Sixth in HL Preseason Poll
Youngstown State was selected to finish sixth in the Horizon League this season in a preseason poll of the conference's 11 head coaches. YSU received 68 points in the poll, which was just eight points behind fourth-place Milwaukee. Sixth place ties the highest preseason ranking for the Penguins since they joined the conference in 2001. The top eight teams in the regular season will advance to the Horizon League Volleyball Championship on Nov. 19-22.
AVCA Team Academic Award Regulars
Youngstown State earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for high achievement in the classroom for the 13th consecutive year during the 2025-26 campaign. YSU began the streak in 2013-14, and its 13-year run is tied for the longest streak in the Horizon League for maintaining a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The Penguins registered a 3.411 team GPA during the 2025-26 academic year, posting a 3.329 in the fall and a 3.505 in the spring.
Up Next
The Penguins will wrap up their October schedule with road matches against the top two teams in the Horizon League standings. YSU will play at first-place Wright State on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. and at NKU on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m.
