Youngstown State University
10-10,5-3Horizon
Northern Illinois
7-12,1-7Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIU | 19 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
| Youngstown St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
10/23/2026 10:02:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's volleyball team did not trail at any point and hit .333 collectively to beat Northern Illinois on Friday evening inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
YSU improved to 10-10 overall and 6-3 in Horizon League play after topping the conference's newest member. The Penguins were 0-5 all-time previously against NIU, which they had not played since 2010. The Huskies are now 7-13 overall and 1-8 in Horizon League matches.
In addition to having an efficient offensive attack, the Penguins were strong at the net defensively with a season-high 12 blocks, the most in a three-set match since Sept. 25, 2015.
Abbie Householder paced the Penguins with 12 kills and 11 digs, and Kylie Surratt finished with 10 kills. Layne Graffice added eight kills in 16 attempts, and those three Penguins combined to hit .397.
Korina Barber was the top blocker with seven, and Wrigley Takats finished with five. Six different Penguins had at least one block. Kameron Blizniak had a match-best 25 assists, and Hayden Rodriguez posted nine.
Rylea Alvin led NIU with eight kills in 15 attempts.
The Penguins scored the first three points on their way to a 6-2 lead in the opening set, and they jumped out to an 8-2 advantage in the second.
The first tie of the match came at 2-2 in the third set, and the Huskies forced two more ties at 4-4 and 5-5. The Penguins scored the next two points on an Ava Stratton kill and an NIU error, and they held the upper hand the rest of the way.
Youngstown State will try to complete the weekend sweep against the Huskies on Saturday at 2 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
