Grace Wilson joined the Youngstown State volleyball program as an assistant coach in 2024 on head coach Riley Jarrett's first staff.
Wilson is a native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she arrived in Youngstown after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Cedarville University in Southwest Ohio.
In YSU’s first season of Jarrett’s coaching era, the Penguins showed potential for the future with several notable performances at both the team and individual levels.
YSU won four of its final six non-conference matches in 2024, which included its first sweep of Kent State in 43 years. The Penguins then beat Mercyhurst 3-0 four days later to record back-to-back home sweeps for the first time since 2000. YSU’s defense keyed the two wins as both opponents posted a negative attack percentage, and the Penguins displayed a gritty defense throughout the campaign. Youngstown State registered 17.28 digs per set, which ranked second in the Horizon League and 16th in the country in 2024.
Youngstown State began November by winning six straight sets against Oakland at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center to celebrate Senior Weekend. YSU rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Golden Grizzlies on Nov. 1 and record the first reverse sweep at home since at least 1998. It was the Penguins’ first win in Youngstown over Oakland in 24 years, and they followed that up with their first 3-0 victory since 1998 a day later. Youngstown State had its best hitting percentage ever in a Horizon League contest at .362 with 47 kills and just nine errors in 105 attempts against the Golden Grizzlies.
Individually, outside hitter Abbie Householder took a big leap forward in her development and was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team. Householder ranked second in the conference in both kills and points per set in 2024, and she was the only player in the conference to rank among the top 12 in both kills and digs per set. Householder was also named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team, and she was an Academic All-District Selection along with Maria Insana, Isabel Schaefabuer and Nyia Setla.
Before her time in Youngstown, Wilson helped Cedarville earn a spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament in 2023. Outside hitter Madelyn Hensley had a standout season, being named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference as she averaged 3.61 kills per set while hitting .283. She went on to be named the NCCAA Midwest Region Player of the Year, the AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year and a First-Team All-American. The Lady Jackets also competed in the G-MAC Tournament in 2022.
Wilson was a graduate assistant coach for two seasons in the volleyball program at Division III Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. Three Rose-Hulman players were named to the All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference first team in her two seasons, and Wilson also coached the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Before her college coaching career, Wilson previously coached the IGNITE Volleyball Club 13s in Twinsburg, Ohio, for two seasons. She also served as the seventh-grade girls volleyball coach in her hometown at Chagrin Falls (Ohio) Middle School in 2018.
Wilson began her collegiate playing career at Lakeland Community College from 2014-16 and moved on to Hiram College for her final two seasons.
Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Hiram in 2018 and a master’s in sport management from Indiana State University in 2021.
