Youngstown State University
Mercyhurst
Volleyball Opens 2026 Campaign Friday, Hosting YSU Invitational
8/26/2026 3:36:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown State begins a season where it looks to take another step forward as a volleyball program this weekend as it hosts the YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health. The Penguins open their 52nd season overall and their third under head coach Riley Jarrett inside Zidian Family Arena against Mercyhurst on Friday at 1 p.m. YSU will then take on Duquesne at 7 p.m., and it will finish the round robin against Canisius on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Live video of YSU's three matches will stream on ESPN+, while the three non-YSU matches will be available on the YSUsports YouTube channel. Live stats throughout the tournament can be found at YSUsports.com.
Tournament Snapshot
Match 1 vs. Mercyhurst
- When: Friday, Aug. 28 | 1 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Promotion: Schedule Poster Giveaway
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 2 vs. Duquesne
- When: Friday, Aug. 28 | 7 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 3 vs. Canisius
- When: Saturday, Aug. 29 | 3 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
YSU Preseason Notes
Building on Last Season's Success
Youngstown State enters 2026 as 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.
Jarrett Two Wins Away from 100
Youngstown State head coach Riley Jarrett enters the 2026 campaign two victories shy of 100 for her career. Jarrett was 72-40 over four seasons at Division II West Liberty from 2020-23, and she is 26-35 in two seasons at YSU. Last season, Jarrett led the Penguins to their best season in more than a decade with a 17-14 overall record and a school-best 11-7 mark in Horizon League play. YSU was 9-21 in Jarrett's first season.
Contract Extension, New Titles Awarded for Coaching Staff
On the heels of last season's success, YSU head coach Riley Jarrett earned a three-year contract through June of 2029. Her extension was announced in July, and additional titles for assistant coaches Grace Wilson and Maddie Clayton were announced in February. Wilson is now also the Director of Operations, and Clayton is also the Recruiting Coordinator. The trio of Jarrett, Wilson and Clayton is entering its third season together on the Penguins bench.
In 2025, YSU posted a 17-14 overall record, which was an eight-win improvement from the year before and the most victories by the program since 2014. Youngstown State also won three more Horizon League matches than it had in any previous season since joining the conference in 2001.
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, enters 2026 as YSU's career record holder with 1,427 kills and one of six players in program history with at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. 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.
Schedule Overview for 2026
The Penguins will play 12 times inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center this season, with three of those contests coming this first weekend of the season. After the YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health, the Penguins' next home contest will be against Kent State on Sept. 18 in the non-conference finale. YSU will then play eight Horizon League home matches, starting with two against IU Indy on Oct. 2-3.
Next week, the Penguins will start their September slate with seven straight road contests, beginning with a tournament in Indianapolis co-hosted by Butler and IU Indy. On Thursday, 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 than 30 years next week. 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 Invitational History
Youngstown State is hosting a multiple-team tournament the opening weekend of the season for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. The Penguins were forced to play on the road to start the 2024 campaign due to renovations in Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, and the spring 2021 season that was affected by COVID-19 consisted entirely of all conference matches. The Penguins are 11-7 in MTEs played on Rosselli Court since 2019.
YSU will look to build on home success in its two seasons under Riley Jarrett. The Penguins are 15-10 on their home floor in the last two seasons, going 5-6 in 2024 and 10-4 in 2025.
Recapping the 2025 event: The Penguins went 2-1 at the 2025 YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health, with each match decided in three sets. Youngstown State had 3-0 victories over Mercyhurst and Canisius to begin and end the tournament, and a closely contested 3-0 loss to Duquesne was in between. Two of the three sets against the Dukes were decided by two points, and the first set extended to 36-34.
Opponent Scouting Report
Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst is coming off a 12-18 season in 2025, which was its second as a Division I program. The Lakers went 10-6 in NEC play and won five straight matches to conclude the regular season. Julia Shepherd, who was named to the NEC All-Conference Second Team last season, returns after posting 270 kills and a .272 hitting percentage in 2025.
2025 Record: 12-18 overall, 10-6 NEC
NEC Preseason Poll: 3rd of 8
Top Returners:
- Kills — Julia Shepherd (2.60 per set)
- Assists — Alyssa Krause (3.85 per set)
- Aces — Alyssa Krause (0.38 per set)
- Digs — Sydney Forcht (1.58 per set)
- Blocks — Mia Mattingly (0.92 per set)
Duquesne
Duquesne returns nine players from last year's squad that finished 18-13 overall and 9-9 in the Atlantic 10. The Dukes, who were unbeaten at last year's YSU Invitational, have two returning starters who ranked among the nation's leaders last year. Setter Chloe Wilmot led the A-10 and ranked 15th in the country with 10.64 assists per set in 2025, and Emersen Schrom ranked 25th in the country with 4.43 kills per set.
2025 Record: 18-13 overall, 9-9 A-10
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll: 6th of 10
Top Returners:
- Kills — Emersen Schrom (4.43 per set)
- Assists — Chloe Wilmot (10.64 per set)
- Aces — Emersen Schrom (0.39 per set)
- Digs — Emersen Schrom (2.67 per set)
- Blocks — Mirabella Iriarte (0.83 per set)
Canisius
Canisius has its highest preseason ranking since 2021 this season, coming in at fourth in the Metro Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Golden Griffins were 12-18 overall and 9-9 in 2025.
2025 Record: 12-18 overall, 9-9 Metro
Metro Preseason Poll: 4th of 12
Top Returners:
- Kills — Madi Cowan (2.56 per set)
- Assists — Brenda Reynaga (0.65 per set)
- Aces — Emma Isroff (0.34 per set)
- Digs — Brenda Reynaga (4.50 per set)
- Blocks — Emma Isroff (0.65 per set)
