Youngstown State University
3-6,0-0Horizon
Ohio State
5-3,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 25 | 18 | 25 | 21 | 10 | 2 |
| Ohio St. | 23 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Penguins Battle Buckeyes to Five Sets in 3-2 Loss
9/13/2026 5:23:00 PM | Volleyball
Columbus, Ohio — Youngstown State's volleyball team pushed Ohio State to five sets in Columbus on Sunday but came up short in a 3-2 loss to the Buckeyes at the Covelli Center. The set scores were 23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10.
Korina Barber posted career highs of nine kills and six blocks, and three Penguins reached double digits in kills. Kylie Surratt had a team-high 15 kills in 45 attempts, while Layne Graffice and Ava Stratton both had 11. Ava Prince registered a team-high 28 assists to go along with 10 digs, and Journey Nicola paced the defense with 15 digs.
Ohio State, which finished unbeaten on its home floor at the Sports Imports Classic this weekend, was led by Naomy Govou's 20 kills and Emily Avshalomov's 27 digs.
The Penguins went on a 9-1 run early in the first set to go up 10-4, and they remained ahead until Ohio State caught them at 15-15. The Buckeyes took a 19-18 lead on an ace by Alia Schoonover, but the Penguins answered with a 6-1 burst to go up 24-20 after three straight kills by Surratt. Ohio State got within 24-23 and appeared to tie the set at 24, but YSU's third successful challenge of the opening set on an OSU net violation flipped the point and gave the set to the Penguins.
The teams were within a point of each other in the second set until Ohio State took a 10-8 lead. The Buckeyes extended their advantage to 18-12, and they maintained a lead of at least five the rest of the set.
Youngstown State hit an impressive .441 in the third set with 17 kills and just two errors in 34 attempts, and the Penguins beat the Buckeyes 25-21. The Penguins trailed by as much as 10-4, and their deficit was 19-17 before they closed the set on an 8-2 run. A Wrigley Takats kill on another successful challenge gave YSU a sideout, and the Penguins scored three more consecutive points on an Abbie Householder kill, an Izzy Henry ace and a block by Barber and Householder. Barber and Graffice teamed up for a block on set point to give Youngstown State a 2-1 lead in the match.
Ohio State opened up a 16-7 lead in the fourth, and it pushed the margin to 24-16. The Penguins fought to get within 24-21 and built momentum for the fifth set before falling 25-21.
The Penguins fell behind 4-1 in the fifth, and they were down 10-5 before making another comeback bid. A Surratt kill started a 5-2 burst that brought the Penguins to within 12-10, but that's as close as they'd get. A serving error gave Ohio State the sideout, and the Buckeyes finished the match with consecutive kills by Hannah Jones and Govou.
Youngstown State will play Akron and Kent State this week to finish non-conference play. The Penguins will play the Zips on the road on Thursday at 6 p.m., and they'll host the Golden Flashes on Friday at 6 p.m.
