Youngstown State University
Wright State
10/29/2026 1:19:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown State's volleyball team takes its four-match winning streak on the road this week for challenging contests against the top two teams in the Horizon League standings. The Penguins, who are tied for third in the standings, will play at league-leading Wright State on Friday and second-place Northern Kentucky on Saturday.
Friday's match at C.J. McLin Gymnasium will begin at 6 p.m., and Saturday's Halloween contest at Regents Hall will start at 4 p.m. Live stats will be available for both matches, and Saturday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Week Ahead
Match 1 at Wright State
- When: Friday, Oct. 30 | 6 p.m.
- Where: C.J. McLin Gymnasium | Dayton, Ohio
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 2 at Northern Kentucky
- When: Saturday, Oct. 31 | 4 p.m.
- Where: Regents Hall | Highland Heights, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State has won four straight matches and six of its last seven to post a 7-2 record in October. 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, 2-0 versus Cleveland State and 2-0 against Northern Illinois.
- With six matches remaining in their Horizon League schedule, the Penguins have a 7-3 conference record and are tied for third in the conference standings with Green Bay. All of YSU's remaining matches are against teams that are 5-5 or better in league play.
- After this week's two road matches, YSU will play three of its final four matches at home. The Penguins are 7-2 on their home floor this season and 19-6 in their last 25 contests.
- The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Horizon League Volleyball Championship, and the Penguins have a five-match lead on ninth-place RMU.
- YSU has won 18 Horizon League matches over the last two seasons. The Penguins had never won more than 14 matches over a two-year stretch.
- Youngstown State leads the Horizon League and ranks 21st in the country with 1.90 aces per set. The Penguins have posted at least nine aces 10 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 five players in the Horizon League in aces (0.42), points (4.08) and kills (3.51) per set. The UT-Martin transfer has reached double digits in kills 18 times in 21 matches, 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 2.53 kills per set, and Stratton, a sophomore right-side hitter, is averaging 2.14 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.
This Week's Opponents
Scouting Wright State
Record: 16-5 Overall // 11-0 Horizon League // 9-3 Home // 5-1 Away // 2-1 Neutral
Recently: Wright State topped NKU in a battle of previously unbeaten teams in Horizon League play on Oct. 20, and the Raiders followed with sweeps of Robert Morris on Oct. 24 and Purdue Fort Wayne this Tuesday.
Horizon League Preseason Poll: 1st of 11
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Mya Ayro (3.49 per set)
Assists — Lauren Yacobucci (10.88 per set)
Aces — Katie Sowko (0.27 per set)
Digs — Taygan Corstange (4.36 per set)
Blocks — Haley Robinson (0.72 per set)
Notes: Wright State hasn't lost since playing at Pitt on Sept. 13 and has won 12 straight matches. Eight of its 11 conference wins have been in straight sets. The Raiders are the top offensive team in the Horizon League, leading the conference in kills per set and attack percentage.
Series History
Overall: Wright State leads 49-12 // Current Win Streak: 13 by WSU // Last 10: 0-10
Home: 7-20 // Away: 4-23 // Neutral: 1-6 // Jarrett (career): 0-5
Scouting NKU
Record: 13-8 Overall // 8-2 Horizon League // 5-1 Home // 5-4 Away // 3-3 Neutral
Recently: Northern Kentucky won its first eight Horizon League matches but enters this week having lost consecutive five-set decisions. The Norse lost 3-2 at Wright State on Oct. 20, and they fell 3-2 at home to Robert Morris on Oct. 23. NKU plays at IU Indy on Thursday before the Penguins come to town for Saturday's contest.
Horizon League Preseason Poll: 2nd of 11
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Ivey Stocks (2.70 per set)
Assists — Abby Pickard (10.58 per set)
Aces — Sydney Bray (0.40 per set)
Digs — Daisy Cluxton (4.57 per set)
Blocks — Katie Noschang (1.28 per set)
Notes: NKU leads the Horizon League with 2.39 blocks per set, and it ranks in the top six in every statistical category. Adding to its strong numbers defensively, the Norse rank second in the league and 23rd nationally in digs per set.
Series History
Overall: NKU leads 20-1 // Current Win Streak: 1 by YSU // Last 10: 1-9
Home: 1-11 // Away: 0-9 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jarrett (career): 1-3
Recapping Last Week
YSU scores are listed first
Oct. 16 vs. Northern Illinois » W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-19)
Oct. 17 vs. Northern Illinois » W, 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21)
- YSU did not trail at any point and only had to endure three ties during Friday night's sweep of the Huskies. There were 20 ties and 11 lead changes in Saturday's contest, including 16 ties and 10 lead changes in the first two sets.
- The Penguins hit .333 as a team in Friday's sweep, their best percentage since the season opener. It was also the seventh-best attack percentage in a Horizon League match in program history.
- YSU dropped to a .203 attack percentage in Saturday's win but overcame it by posting 10 aces in the 3-1 win. It was the third time in the last four matches that the Penguins reached double digits in aces and the eighth time this season. Wrigley Takats had four of those aces.
- The Penguins had 23 blocks in the two matches, posting 12 in Friday's sweep and 11 in Saturday's four-set win. Those are YSU's two highest blocking totals this season. YSU had not recorded at least 12 blocks in a three-set match since Sept. 25, 2015.
- Only 17 teams in the country averaged more than YSU's 3.29 blocks per set last week.
- The Penguins and Huskies played for the first time since 2010. NIU had won the first five meetings in the all-time series, four of which were contested in 1992 and 1993 when both teams were in the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League).
- Korina Barber set new career highs with 10 kills and 22 attempts while hitting .409 against NIU in Saturday's win. She posted seven blocks on Friday in the three-set win and averaged 1.43 blocks per set during the week.
- Abbie Householder notched her third straight double-double on Friday with 12 kills and 11 digs. After leading the Penguins with 3.43 digs per set last week, she has at least 10 digs in four straight matches.
- Kylie Surratt had 10 kills on Friday and 13 on Saturday, giving her eight straight matches with at least 10 kills. She was YSU's top scorer last week with 4.07 points per set.
- Wrigley Takats led the Horizon League with 1.86 blocks per set last week, finishing with 13 over seven sets. She had a season-high eight in Saturday's four-set victory while recording a career-high 16.5 points. Takats is averaging 1.29 blocks per set over YSU's last six matches, and she is averaging 0.6 aces per set in October.
Penguins In Depth
Upcoming Milestones
- Sophomore Kameron Blizniak needs three aces to reach 50 in her career. She is also 31 assists shy of 1,700 for her career.
- Sophomore Layne Graffice is 30 kills away from 500 in her career.
- Sophomore Brie Habeeb is two digs shy of 400 for her career.
- Sophomore Izzy Henry needs 13 kills to reach 100 for her career.
- Fifth-year senior Abbie Householder is 55 digs away from breaking YSU's career record, which is currently 1,495 by Jill Raslevich (1992-95).
- Junior Ava Prince is four assists away from 300 in her career.
- Sophomore Ava Stratton is 16 kills away from reaching 200 in her career.
News & Notes
Eyeing Another Tournament Appearance
Youngstown State is on the brink of clinching a spot in the Horizon League Volleyball Championship for the second straight season. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify, and YSU is currently tied for third with a 7-3 record with six matches remaining. RMU, which the Penguins split two meetings with, is ninth with a 2-8 mark. Youngstown State has not played in consecutive conference tournaments since qualifying for three straight from 2012-14.
The top four teams at the end of the regular season will receive a bye to the second round, and the top two receive a double bye into the semifinals. Entering this week, the Penguins are one match behind second-place NKU and two matches ahead of three teams that are tied for fifth with a 5-5 record: Milwaukee, Oakland and IU Indy. YSU split with IU Indy, and it plays Oakland twice and Milwaukee once over the final two weeks of the regular season.
Aces Rate on Record Pace
As the Penguins enter the final three weeks of the regular season, they are on track to have their best season at the service line in the NCAA's current scoring format. Youngstown State is averaging 1.90 aces per set overall, which is the most since 2001 and ranks 21st in the country, and 1.95 per set against Horizon League opponents. 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.
Home Success
Youngstown State is on an impressive run at home, having gone 19-6 over its last 25 matches inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins won their last two matches of 2024, went 10-4 in 2025 and are 7-2 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 22-12 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.
Householder Returns After Record-Breaking 2025
Abbie Householder returns to the Penguins as a fifth-year senior after a record-breaking 2025 campaign. 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.
The outside hitter from nearby Canfield, Ohio, is YSU's career record holder with 1,534 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 1,441 digs rank second in YSU's career chart, 55 away from breaking Jill Raslevich's record of 1,495 that was set from 1992-95 in side-out scoring.
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 4.08 points per set. Additionally, she ranks fifth in the conference with 3.51 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. As the Penguins have won six of their last seven matches heading into this week, Surratt is hitting at a .355 clip over that stretch.
Blizniak Enters Top 10 in Career Assists
Sophomore Kameron Blizniak moved into 10th place on YSU's career assists list in the win over NIU on Oct. 24. She is one of 11 setters in Youngstown State history to surpass 1,500 career assists, and her total of 1,669 entering this week ranks 10th. She will sit 10th for a while as the top nine Penguins in program history all have over 2,100 career assists. Blizniak had 1,116 assists as a freshman last season as the Penguins ran primarily a 5-1 offense, and she has 553 this season in a predominantly 6-2 offense.
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 2.14 kills and 0.53 blocks per set while hitting .231 after 21 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 7-2 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 begin the final four-match stretch of the regular season with a home-and-home weekend against Oakland. YSU will host the Golden Grizzlies on Friday at 4 p.m., and they'll play at Oakland on Saturday at 4 p.m. The regular season will conclude the following week with the Penguins hosting Milwaukee and Green Bay on Nov. 12-13.
