Maddie Clayton joined Riley Jarrett's volleyball staff as an assistant coach at Youngstown State University in May 2024.
Clayton, who played and coached alongside Jarrett at West Liberty, spent the 2023 season as an assistant coach at Muskingum before reuniting with Jarrett in Youngstown.
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.
While alongside Jarrett at West Liberty, Clayton provided student-athletes with one-on-one instruction during practices, matches, and weight-lifting sessions. She also managed the team's social media accounts, handled event planning for the program, and assisted in recruiting efforts.
Clayton also brings coaching experience from Club Gold South program out of St. Clairsville, Ohio. Clayton served as the head coach for the club's 16 Gold Regional Volleyball Team, developing all practice plans for the club and instructing athletes on skill development.
Before she got into coaching, Clayton was a standout student-athlete at West Liberty. She earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention accolades and Division II CCA All-America Honorable Mention honors at the middle blocker position. Clayton was additionally selected to the AVCA All-Region First Team, the Division II CCA All-Region First Team, and the All-Mountain East Conference First Team. As a senior, she led the Mountain East Conference and ranked sixth in Division II with 148 total blocks. She ended her playing career at West Liberty ranking as the school’s all-time leader in career hitting percentage at .313.
Clayton is a native of Roseville, Ohio, who was a three-time all-conference and all-district player at Phil High School. She graduated from West Liberty in 2021 with a degree in Athletic Training, and she earned her master’s degree in education, sport leadership and coaching from the university in 2023.
