Youngstown State University
Robert Morris
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Penguins Host RMU Tuesday to Open Three-Match Week
10/5/2026 11:58:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown State faces its busiest week of the Horizon League schedule this week with three conference matches in a span of five days. The Penguins begin the stretch by hosting Robert Morris inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center on Tuesday, and they'll travel to Purdue Fort Wayne for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday.
Tuesday's contest will begin at 6 p.m., Friday's will start at 7 p.m., and Saturday's will begin at 2 p.m. All three matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available throughout the week on YSUsports.com.
The Week Ahead
Match 1 vs. Robert Morris
- When: Tuesday, Oct. 6 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Promotion: Rivalry Red Night - The first 50 YSU students receive a free t-shirt and pizza
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 2 at Purdue Fort Wayne
- When: Friday, Oct. 9 | 7 p.m.
- Where: Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 3 at Purdue Fort Wayne
- When: Saturday, Oct. 10 | 2 p.m.
- Where: Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State enters the week with a 5-9 overall record and a 1-2 mark in Horizon League play following last week's split against IU Indy. The Penguins swept the Jaguars on Friday behind a decisive edge at the service line, but IU Indy responded with a 3-2 victory on Saturday. YSU enters this three-match week right in the middle of the conference standings in sixth place.
- YSU is in a span of playing five matches over a stretch of nine days from Oct. 2-10. The Penguins did not have any matches over the previous nine days from Sept. 23-Oct. 1.
- The Penguins used the nine-day break from competition to explore different rotations. Against IU Indy, Wrigley Takats moved from the right side to the middle, Abbie Householder started twice at outside hitter, Kylie Surratt and Householder both played on the right side in Takats' previous spot, and Hayden Rodriguez moved into the lineup as a setter when YSU employed the 6-2 offense.
- The Penguins are 4-2 on their home floor this season and are 16-6 in their last 22 matches inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. They own a 19-12 record on Rosselli Court under third-year head coach Riley Jarrett.
- 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.
- The Penguins rank 30th in the country and second in the Horizon League with 1.93 aces per set. They have posted at least nine aces seven times, and their season high 14 aces in a sweep of Mercyhurst in the season opener. 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 points (4.06), aces (0.46) and kills (3.50) per set. The UT-Martin transfer has reached double digits in kills 11 times, highlighted by a 34-kill effort against Marshall on Sept. 5.
- The Penguins have two additional hitters averaging at least 2.2 kills per set — Graffice and Ava Stratton. Graffice, a sophomore outside hitter, is averaging 2.63 kills per set for the season and 2.9 over the last three weeks. Stratton, a sophomore right-side hitter, is averaging 2.28 kills per set, a big boost from when she had 13 kills in 13 sets as a freshman.
- Third-year head coach Riley Jarrett celebrated the 100th victory of her career on Aug. 29 with the win over Canisius. Jarrett was 72-40 over four seasons at Division II West Liberty (West Virginia) from 2020-23, and she is 30-43 at YSU.
Previewing Opponents
Scouting Robert Morris
Record: 3-13 Overall // 1-4 Horizon League // 3-4 Home // 0-5 Away // 0-4 Neutral
Last Week: Robert Morris comes to Youngstown having lost four straight matches since beating the Penguins 3-2 in the Horizon League opener for both teams. Last week, RMU fell 3-2 twice at home to Purdue Fort Wayne.
Horizon League Preseason Poll: 10th of 11
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Lauren Decker (3.76 per set)
Assists — Kenlee Barnard (9.57 per set)
Aces — Anahi Alvarado (0.26 per set)
Digs — Maddie Siphakongviseth (2.83 per set)
Blocks — Tia Schultz (0.58 per set)
Notes: The Colonials have gone five sets in four of their five conference matches, and their last three losses have all been 3-2. Lauren Decker ranks second in the Horizon League in kills per set.
Series History
Overall: YSU leads 44-13 // Current Win Streak: One by RMU // Last 10: 6-4
Home: 20-4 // Away: 19-9 // Neutral: 5-3 // Jarrett (career): 3-2
YSU vs. RMU This Season: Youngstown State and Robert Morris battled through 48 ties and 23 lead changes in the first four sets before RMU held on to win 3-2 in the Horizon League opener for both teams. Robert Morris held a 67-47 edge in kills and outhit the Penguins .246-.091. RMU's advantage in kills was partially offset by 22 serving errors.
Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Record: 10-7 Overall // 4-0 Horizon League // 4-1 Home // 2-4 Away // 4-2 Neutral
Last Week: The Mastodons beat Robert Morris 3-2 twice in Moon Township to remain unbeaten in Horizon League play at 4-0. Purdue Fort Wayne rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win on Friday, and it built a 2-0 lead on Saturday before winning in five sets. Riley Rosneck averaged 5.0 kills per set to be named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Horizon League Preseason Poll: 11th of 11
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Riley Rosneck (4.12 per set)
Assists — Haiden Means (6.48 per set)
Aces — Lili Smith (0.29 per set)
Digs — Becky Barrett (4.16 per set)
Blocks — Kennedy McCants (1.01 per set)
Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne ranks second in the conference with 2.18 blocks per set as a team. Riley Rosneck paces the league in kills and points per set, and she ranks among the top three players in the country in total kills, points and attacks. Becky Barrett ranks second in the conference with 4.16 digs per set.
Series History
Overall: PFW leads 9-6 // Current Win Streak: Two by YSU // Last 10: 6-4
Home: 3-4 // Away: 3-5 // Neutral: 2-3 // Jarrett (career): 2-2
Only one of the first 15 meetings between the two teams has gone to five sets, a 3-2 YSU victory on Oct. 28, 2022. The Penguins and Mastodons have split the 12 contests since Purdue Fort Wayne joined the Horizon League.
Last Season: Youngstown State swept Purdue Fort Wayne on the final two days of the regular season inside Zidian Family Arena.
Recapping Last Week
YSU scores are listed first
Oct. 2 vs. IU Indy » W, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-21)
Oct. 3 vs. IU Indy » L, 2-3 (23-25, 29-27, 20-25, 25-19, 9-15)
- The Penguins had a significant edge at the service line, having a 17-7 edge in aces while committing eight fewer serving errors (29-21). YSU had seven aces and kept the Jaguars out of system with aggressive serving in the three-set victory on Friday.
- YSU had just two receiving errors on 95 attempts on Saturday, a big improvement from when it had five errors on 47 attempts in Friday's win.
- Both of YSU's middle hitters had the best offensive matches of their careers against IU Indy. Freshman Korina Barber had nine kills in both matches, and she finished with 18 kills and just three errors in 33 attempts for a .455 attack percentage. Junior Wrigley Takats had a career-high nine kills on 25 attempts while hitting .240 in Saturday's match. Takats also had the first five aces of her collegiate career against the Jaguars.
- Layne Graffice surpassed 400 career kills in Saturday's match when she posted 16 on 43 attempts. She added 10 digs for her fifth double-double in her last eight matches.
- Journey Nicola recorded 27 digs, the most by any Penguin in a match this season, in Saturday's five-set contest. Nine of those digs came in the third set. Nicola has had at least 10 digs in nine of her last 10 matches, and she had nine in the other.
- Hayden Rodriguez played in the five sets that YSU utilized a 6-2 offense and posted 24 assists. She had played in three sets total coming into the weekend.
- Kylie Surratt surpassed 50 career aces and has 53 in her career. She has 26 of those aces this season. Surratt posted 15 kills and 10 digs in Saturday's match for her third double-double in the last four contests.
Penguins In Depth
Upcoming Milestones
- Sophomore Kameron Blizniak needs 25 assists to reach 1,500 for her career. She would become the 11th Penguin to record 1,500 career assists. Blizniak is also 23 digs shy of 400 in her career.
- Sophomore Layne Graffice is 26 digs shy of 400 in her career.
- Sophomore Brie Habeeb is seven digs shy of 400 for her career.
- Sophomore Izzy Henry needs 13 kills to record 100 for her career.
- Fifth-year senior Abbie Householder is 31 kills shy of 1,500 for her career.
- Junior Ava Prince is seven assists away from 300 in her career.
- Junior Kylie Surratt needs 10 digs to reach 500 for her career.
News & Notes
Home Success
Youngstown State is on an impressive run at home, having gone 16-6 over its last 22 matches inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins won their last two matches of 2024, went 10-4 in 2025 and are 4-2 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 19-12 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.
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, posting a 10-4 record to tie the program record from 1999.
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 2.28 kills and 0.52 blocks per set while hitting .224 after 14 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 six times.
Surratt Among League Leaders
Kylie Surratt has had an impressive first six weeks at Youngstown State. A junior outside hitter who transferred from UT-Martin in January, Surratt currently ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 4.06 points per set. Additionally, she ranks second in the conference with 0.46 aces per set and fifth with 3.50 kills 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.
Records Fall in Season Opener
Two school records were set and another was tied in YSU's season-opening victory over Mercyhurst. As a team, YSU's 14 aces were the most in program history in a three-set, rally-scoring match, surpassing the previous mark of 11 at Canisius in 2022. Individually, Ava Prince tied the record for aces in a three-set, rally-scoring match with six, equaling the effort of teammate Brie Habeeb (2025) and Colleen Royer (2001). Ava Stratton set the individual record for hitting percentage in a match by hitting .857 with 12 kills on 14 attempts without an error.
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.
Strong Sophomore Class Looks for Second-Year Jump
Youngstown State's strong five-member sophomore class of Kameron Blizniak, Layne Graffice, Brie Habeeb, Izzy Henry and Ava Stratton is looking to provide the foundation for a solid 2026 and beyond. The group combined for 88 starts in 2025, and Blizniak and Graffice headlined the accomplishments by being named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. Blizniak started every match and set a new school record for the 25-point rally scoring era with 1,116 assists. Graffice was a six-rotation left side who averaged 2.67 kills and 2.60 digs per set in her freshman season.
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 1,469 kills and one of six players in program history with at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Her 1,364 digs rank second in YSU's career chart. 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.
Penguins Add Three Division I Transfers in January
Youngstown State added experience before the 2026 spring semester as juniors Ashlee Gnau, Kylie Surratt and Wrigley Takats arrived from Division I institutions. Gnau, a defensive specialist, played in 34 matches over two seasons at Syracuse. Surratt had two prolific seasons as an outside hitter at UT-Martin, posting totals of 539 kills, 392 digs and 77 blocks while being named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference Second Team as a freshman. Takats, a middle blocker and right side hitter who arrived from Eastern Michigan, recorded 60 kills and 58 blocks as a sophomore.
Freshman Class of Five
Youngstown State has a talented and position-balanced class of five freshmen on this year's roster. The group includes pin hitter Natalie Carr, defensive specialist Journey Nicola, setter Hayden Rodriguez, and middle blockers Korina Barber and Makayla Keibler. Nicola, Rodriguez and Barber are Ohioans, and Carr and Keibler are from the Pittsburgh, Pa. area. Carr and Keibler were club teammates with Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball, and Nicola and Barber both played club ball with Mintonette.
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
After its three-match week, Youngstown State will play a pair of road contests next week at Cleveland State on Oct. 16-17.
