Youngstown State University
4-7,0-0Horizon
Kent State
6-5,0-0MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent St. | 14 | 25 | 24 | 16 | 1 |
| Youngstown St. | 25 | 21 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
YSU Finishes Non-League Play with Four-Set Win over Kent State
9/18/2026 9:43:00 PM | Volleyball
Youngstown, Ohio — Outside hitters Kylie Surratt and Layne Graffice both recorded double-doubles to lead Youngstown State's volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Kent State on Friday evening. The set scores inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center were 25-14, 21-25, 26-24, 25-16.
In the nonconference finale for both teams, Surratt had a team-high 18 kills while adding 13 digs and four aces. Graffice posted 14 kills while also contributing 13 digs, and Kameron Blizniak posted 22 assists and 10 digs.
Youngstown State, which improved to 3-1 at home and 4-7 overall, finished with a 55-48 edge in kills and a significant 11-1 advantage in aces. The Penguins held the Golden Flashes to a .191 attack percentage, a big improvement from Thursday night's loss at Akron when the Zips hit .432.
Mercedez Brown led Kent State with a match-high 21 kills, which accounted for nearly 44% of the team total. The Golden Flashes finished their nonconference slate with a 4-7 record.
Youngstown State scored nine of the first 11 points of the night, and a Surratt kill put the Penguins up 9-2. YSU's advantage was at least five the rest of the set as Kent State was limited to eight kills.
Youngstown State led by three three times in the first half of the second set, the final time coming at 12-9 on another Surratt kill. YSU's advantage was 15-13 on a Surratt ace, and the Golden Flashes came out of the media timeout with a three-point run to go up 16-15. The Penguins didn't lead again, and Kent State evened the match with a 25-21 win.
The third set was the closest of the night despite the Golden Flashes starting on a 6-2 burst. The Penguins answered with a 5-0 run on Blizniak's serve, creating the first of 14 ties and the first of seven lead changes in the set. The Penguins surged to a 21-17 lead following a kill by Korina Barber, but Kent State fought back to tie the score at 21, 22, 23 and 24. Surratt's fourth kill of the set gave YSU a 25-24 lead, and Barber and Wrigley Takats combined to block Brown on the second set-point chance.
YSU's first lead in the fourth set didn't come until 14-13, and the Penguins ended the night on a 13-3 run. Surratt had back-to-back kills to start the run, and Ava Stratton's 11th kill of the match gave YSU a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout. The Penguins scored three of the next four points, and their lead was 18-16 when they scored the final seven points behind two aces by Prince.
Youngstown State will begin Horizon League play at Robert Morris on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
