Youngstown State University
4-8,0-1Horizon
Robert Morris
3-9,1-0Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 25 | 27 | 20 | 26 | 7 | 2 |
| Robert Morris | 23 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 15 | 3 |
Penguins Drop Five-Setter at RMU in League Opener
9/22/2026 9:59:00 PM | Volleyball
Moon Township, Pa. — Youngstown State's volleyball team had a frantic rally at the end of the fourth set to force a fifth, but the Penguins fell 3-2 at Robert Morris on Tuesday evening in the Horizon League opener for both schools. The set scores at the UPMC Events Center were 23-25, 29-27, 25-20, 24-26, 15-7.
Layne Graffice finished with 16 kills and 11 digs, while Kylie Surratt posted 10 kills and 15 digs for YSU. Ava Stratton added 10 kills, and Journey Nicola and Juliana Rivera finished with 12 and 10 digs, respectively.
RMU freshman Lauren Decker had a 20-20 match, finishing with 24 kills and 20 digs while hitting at a .353 clip. Freshman Maddie Siphakongviseth recorded 30 digs, and Keira Hornung finished with two solo blocks and eight block assists.
Robert Morris held a 67-47 edge in kills and outhit the Penguins .246-.091. RMU's advantage in kills was partially offset by 22 serving errors. Youngstown State had an 11-6 advantage in aces, with Graffice and Surratt contributing three aces apiece.
The match had 48 ties and 23 lead changes, all of which came in the first four sets.
The Penguins had 16 kills in the opening set, and Stratton laced two for YSU's final two points as the Penguins held on for a 25-23 win. YSU's offense slowed over the next two sets, starting in the second when the teams combined for 15 serving errors. RMU had 10 of those errors but offset them with 18 kills, while the Penguins had just six kills in 37 attempts. YSU had one set point at 25-24 but couldn't convert.
The margin was within two in the third set until RMU took an 18-15 lead on an ace by Anahi Alvarado. The Penguins caught up at 20-20 following a kill by Graffice to force an RMU timeout, but the Colonials scored the final five points of the set.
The fourth set featured big runs by both teams, and YSU had the first and last to extend the match. The Penguins built an 11-5 lead following a kill by Korina Barber, but RMU scored seven straight points behind Alvarado's serve to take its first lead at 12-11. RMU later built a 24-21 lead to set up three consecutive match points, and Youngstown State answered to the challenge. A serving error gave the Penguins a sideout, and Stratton followed with a kill and a block to tie the score at 24. Graffice's kill gave YSU a 25-24 lead, and Surratt's serve on the Penguins' first set point clipped the top of the net and fell over for an ace.
RMU regrouped between sets and scored four of the first five points of the fifth, and the Colonials never led by fewer than two after the early burst.
Youngstown State's next match will be against IU Indy on Oct. 2 inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
