Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's 2026 volleyball schedule includes 12 matches inside Zidian Family Arena, a tournament at Ohio State and a new format to the Horizon League slate. Third-year head coach Riley Jarrett announced the Penguins' 27-match regular-season schedule on Thursday.

Youngstown State will play 11 nonconference contests, starting with the YSU Invitational on Aug. 28, before opening up a 16-match conference ledger on Sept. 22. The regular season will conclude on Nov. 13, and the Horizon League Volleyball Championship will be Nov. 19-22.

The Penguins will open the season by welcoming Mercyhurst, Duquesne and Canisius to Youngstown for the YSU Invitational on Aug. 28-29. Those same three teams were at the tournament inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center to start the 2025 campaign, and YSU's season will begin at 1 p.m. against the Lakers.

Youngstown State will start September with seven straight road contests, beginning with a tournament in Indianapolis co-hosted by Butler and IU Indy. On Sept. 3, the Penguins will play the Bulldogs for the third time since Butler departed the Horizon League in 2011, and they'll play two other regional opponents for the first time in more 30 years. YSU will play Ohio for the first time since 1995 at Butler on Sept. 4, and the Penguins will play Marshall for the first time since 1993 on Sept. 5 at IU Indy.

YSU's third and final nonconference tournament will be in Ohio's capital city, with three matches over three days at Ohio State. The Penguins will play Southern Indiana for the first time in program history on Sept. 11, and they'll take on Winthrop the following day. The weekend in Columbus will conclude against the Buckeyes on Sept. 13, as the Penguins will play Ohio State for the first time since 2008 and a Big Ten opponent for the first time in 12 years. YSU's recent annual tradition of closing the nonconference season with matches against Akron and Kent State will continue with a trip to Akron on Sept. 17 and a home contest against the Golden Flashes on Sept. 18.

The new format of the Horizon League schedule comes with the addition of Northern Illinois for 2026. The Penguins will play six opponents twice, having home-and-home splits with Robert Morris and Oakland, two matches at Purdue Fort Wayne and at Cleveland State and two home matches against both IU Indy and Northern Illinois. YSU will then play single matches at Wright State and NKU and one home match against Milwaukee and Green Bay.

The conference slate begins on Sept. 22 with the one-hour trip to RMU, and the Penguins will host IU Indy for two matches after an off weekend on Oct. 2-3. YSU will then conclude a three-match homestand by welcoming RMU on Oct. 6, and the Guins will embark on a four-match road stretch with trips to Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State on consecutive weekends.

The second half of YSU's conference schedule will begin on Oct. 23-24 inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center with two matches against Northern Illinois. YSU will then face the two teams that advanced to the 2025 Horizon League Championship, playing at Wright State on Oct. 30 and at Northern Kentucky on Oct. 31.

The Penguins will open November with a home-and-home against Oakland, hosting the Golden Grizzlies on Nov. 6 before both teams head to Rochester, Mich., for a match on Nov. 7. YSU's regular season will conclude at home with single matches against the league's Wisconsin schools, hosting Milwaukee on Nov. 12 and Green Bay on Nov. 13.