Youngstown State University
2-3,0-0Horizon
Ohio
4-1,0-0MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 21 | 22 | 25 | 12 | 1 |
| Ohio | 25 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 3 |
Surratt Records 18 Kills in 3-1 Loss to Ohio
9/4/2026 4:07:00 PM | Volleyball
Indianapolis, Ind. — Kylie Surratt posted 18 kills, while Journey Nicola recorded a career-high 19 digs as Youngstown State's volleyball team fell 3-1 to Ohio on Friday afternoon at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse. The set scores against the Bobcats were 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-12.
Surratt's 18 kills came on 55 attempts, and she added two block assists for a team-high 20 points. Layne Graffice posted eight kills and nine digs, and Ava Stratton finished with seven kills on a .312 attack percentage. Kameron Blizniak led the Penguins with 31 assists and two aces, and Nicola's 19 digs were one away from match-high honors and 16 more than her previous career high.
Torre Kildow hit .500 and led Ohio offensively with 19 kills, and Bailey Blair finished with 12 kills while assisting on two of Ohio's 12 blocks. The Bobcats hit .283 overall, including .538 in the fourth set.
Izzy Henry scored YSU's first two points as the Penguins built a 3-1 lead in the opening set, before Ohio answered with a 5-0 run to go up 6-4. The Bobcats held the upper hand the rest of the set, holding off YSU in the late stages as the Penguins got within 21-19 on a Surratt kill.
Surratt had five kills on 10 attempts in the second set, which featured nine ties and four lead changes. YSU's final lead was 13-12 when Graffice had a kill, and the final tie came at 21-21 on an ace by Surratt. Ohio got a sideout on a serving error after a timeout and closed out the set on a 4-1 burst.
Surratt's best set was the third, when she posted seven kills on 18 swings, and the Penguins held the Bobcats to a .100 hitting percentage to extend the match with a 25-21 win. YSU did not trail after it was 5-4, and it protected a close lead for most of the set that reached a maximum of five points at 19-14. Ohio scored four straight points to get within 19-18, and it was 21-20 before Surratt had back-to-back kills to ignite a 4-1 run to end the set.
Ohio had 15 kills and just one error in the fourth set, and the Bobcats scored eight of the final nine points to pull away.
Youngstown State will play Marshall at IU Indy on Saturday to conclude its three-match stretch in Indianapolis. The contest against the Herd will begin at 1 p.m. and be broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information throughout the season, follow @ysuvolleyball on Instagram, Facebook and X.
