Youngstown State University
Akron
Penguins Conclude Non-League Play Versus Akron, Kent State
9/16/2026 9:25:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown State's volleyball team takes on a pair of Northeast Ohio rivals from the Mid-American Conference this week as a final tune-up for Horizon League play. The Penguins will play at Akron on Thursday at 6 p.m., and they will host Kent State on Friday at 6 p.m. in their final nonconference match of the 2026 season.
Friday's match against the Golden Flashes will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available for both matches on YSUsports.com.
The Week Ahead
Match 1 at Akron
- When: Thursday, Sept. 17 | 6 p.m.
- Where: James A. Rhodes Arena | Akron, Ohio
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
Match 2 vs. Kent State
- When: Friday, Sept. 18 | 6 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Promotion: YSU Clear Tote Bag Giveaway
- Watch: ESPN+
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | X
A Glimpse at the Guins
- The Penguins are 3-6 as they enter the final week of nonconference play, going 2-1 at the YSU Invitational to open the campaign, 0-3 at the Hampton Inn / Indy Invite and 1-2 at Ohio State's Sports Imports Classic. Last week in Columbus, Ohio, YSU beat Winthrop 3-1 while falling 3-1 to Southern Indiana and 3-2 to Ohio State.
- This is the fifth straight season that Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Akron and Kent State are partnering for an informal Mid-American Conference vs. Horizon League challenge of Northeast Ohio teams in September. The Penguins split with the MAC opponents in 2022, 2023 and 2024 but went 0-2 in 2025. The losses to Akron and Kent State started a four-match losing streak last season, but the Penguins rebounded to win 12 of their next 17 matches from Sept. 30 through Nov. 21.
- 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 29-41 at YSU. She will receive a commemorative ball before Friday's match against the Golden Flashes.
- The Penguins rank 52nd in the country and third in the Horizon League with 1.86 aces per set, bolstered by their 14 aces in a sweep of Mercyhurst in the season opener. Kameron Blizniak and Kylie Surratt both rank among the top 10 in the conference individually.
- Outside hitter Kylie Surratt has had a strong first three weeks as a Penguin. The junior transfer from UT-Martin ranks second in the Horizon League with 3.91 kills and 4.41 points per set through nine matches. She has reached double digits in kills seven times, highlighted by a 34-kill effort against Marshall on Sept. 5.
- 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.
- After opening the season at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, the Penguins will play their seventh straight road match at Akron on Thursday. YSU will host Kent State on Friday in its only home match in a span of 34 days. After Friday's contest, the Penguins won't be back at home until Oct. 2 against IU Indy.
Scouting the Opponents
Scouting Akron
Record: 3-6 Overall // 2-1 Home // 1-2 Away // 0-3 Neutral
Last Week: Akron went 2-1 last week at its home tournament, the Zips Invitational. Akron topped Horizon League member Cleveland State and Valparaiso 3-1, and the Zips had a 3-2 loss to Coppin State. The week prior, Akron was swept by Marshall and Butler and lost 3-2 to IU Indy at the Hampton Inn / Indy Invitational. YSU also competed at that tournament and lost 3-0 to Butler and 3-2 to Marshall.
Preseason Poll: Seventh of 11 in the Mid-American Conference
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Delaney Gash (3.33 per set)
Assists — Masa Prasevic (6.81 per set)
Aces — Vanessa Del Real and Reilly Causse (0.31 per set)
Digs — Vanessa Del Real (3.81 per set)
Blocks — Chidera Ozoh (1.06 per set)
Notes: Delaney Gash and Lyndi Wolf were both named to the 2026 Preseason All-MAC Team.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Akron leads 49-10 // Current Win Streak: Three by Akron // Last 10: 3-7
Home: 2-14 // Away: 4-18 // Neutral: 4-17 // Jarrett (career): 0-2
Scouting Kent State
Record: 5-4 Overall // 0-0 Home // 1-2 Away // 4-2 Neutral
Last Week: Kent State went unbeaten in three matches at Mercyhurst's Laker Invitational last weekend in Erie, Pa. The Golden Flashes swept Niagara and Columbia while topping Mercyhurst 3-2. The Penguins swept Mercyhurst to start the season at the YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health.
Preseason Poll: 11th of 11 in the Mid-American Conference
Stat Leaders:
Kills — Mercedez Brown (2.34 per set)
Assists — Christina Vigil (7.20 per set)
Aces — Lesley Furuta (0.40 per set)
Digs — Lesley Furuta (4.11 per set)
Blocks — Nadia Miller (0.87 per set)
Notes: The Golden Flashes enter this week needing three wins to match last season's win total of eight. Kent State hosts Cleveland State on Thursday before coming to Youngstown.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Kent State leads 23-6 // Current Win Streak: One by Kent State // Last 10: 3-7
Home: 4-11 // Away: 1-12 // Neutral: 1-0 // Jarrett (career): 1-1
Recapping Last Week
YSU scores are listed first
Sept. 11 vs. Southern Indiana » L, 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18)
Sept. 12 vs. Winthrop » W, 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22)
Sept. 13 at Ohio State » L, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10)
- Youngstown State went 1-2 last week at the Sports Imports Classic at Ohio State's Covelli Center. The Penguins lost 3-1 to Southern Indiana to open the week, bounced back with a 3-1 win over Winthrop, and finished the event with a 3-2 loss to Ohio State.
- The Penguins led the Buckeyes 2-1 after a 25-23 win in the first set and a 25-21 win in the third. Ohio State tied the match with a 25-21 win in the fourth, and the Buckeyes won the fifth 15-10. YSU was looking for its first win over a Big Ten opponent in program history. The Penguins hadn't played an opponent from the Big Ten since 2014.
- YSU hit .290 against Winthrop, its highest mark since hitting .375 in the season opener against Mercyhurst. The Penguins also had nine blocks against the Eagles, which was their highest total of the season until they had 10 against Ohio State the following day.
- Korina Barber had her best match as a Penguin against Ohio State, posting nine kills in 15 attempts while adding six blocks. Her previous career high in kills was four, and she had recorded five blocks twice previously.
- Layne Graffice had her best week of the season last week, averaging 3.31 kills per set while hitting .200. She added 2.46 digs per set and recorded double-doubles against Southern Indiana (17 kills, 16 digs) and Ohio State (11 kills, 10 digs). She was averaging 2.0 kills per set while battling an injury heading into the weekend in Columbus. Graffice also surpassed 350 career kills in Sunday's match against Ohio State.
- Journey Nicola averaged 2.92 digs per set as YSU's libero last week, and she had just one receiving error in 59 attempts.
- Setter Ava Prince had an impressive week defensively, averaging 3.27 digs per set. Her 18 digs against Winthrop set a new career high.
- Ava Stratton had 11 kills against Winthrop and Ohio State, and she has reached double digits in kills in three of her last four matches.
- Kylie Surratt led the Penguins in scoring last week with 3.92 points per set. She matched Graffice with 3.31 kills per set, and Surratt added 0.46 aces and 0.23 blocks per set.
- Wrigley Takats had her two best matches offensively as a Penguin to finish the tournament, posting a career-high-tying seven kills against Winthrop and five against Ohio State. She added five blocks against the Eagles.
Penguins In Depth
Upcoming Milestones
- Sophomore Brie Habeeb is 11 digs shy of 400 for her career.
- Fifth-year senior Abbie Householder is 44 kills shy of 1,500 for her career.
- Junior Ava Prince needs one assist to reach 250 for her career.
- Sophomore Ava Stratton is two kills away from 100 for her career.
- Junior Kylie Surratt is 24 kills away from 700 in her career.
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.
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 2.43 kills and 0.57 blocks per set while hitting .267 after nine 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 four times, including three of the last four heading into the match against Akron.
Surratt Leading HL in Kills
Kylie Surratt has had an impressive first three weeks at Youngstown State. A junior outside hitter who transferred from UT-Martin in January, Surratt currently ranks second in the Horizon League with 3.91 kills and 4.41 points 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.
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.
Contract Extension, New Titles Awarded for 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.
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 1,456 kills and one of six players in program history with at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Her 1,341 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
Youngstown State will begin its 26th season of Horizon League play on Tuesday at Robert Morris. The match against the Colonials will be YSU's only contest of the week, and YSU will have 10 days before beginning a two-match series against IU Indy on Oct. 2-3.
