By Zach Flesch / The Jambar
Despite early momentum, the Youngstown State University women’s volleyball team fell to the University of Akron on Sept. 18 and Kent State University on Sept. 19 at Zidian Family Arena in Beeghly Center.
The Zips surged past Youngstown State to record 52 kills on 103 attempts over its final three sets.
Senior Abbie Householder led the Penguins with 15 kills and nine digs, while junior Gabriela Machin contributed 11 kills. The pair combined for a strong 31.1% hitting percentage to keep the Penguins competitive.
Youngstown State’s underclassmen showed out in the match, as freshman Brie Habeeb anchored the defense with a team-high 16 digs. The offense was led by freshman Presley Stokes, who set a new career-high with seven kills in her first home performance.
Also for the Penguins, senior Julia Sell returned from an injury, and recorded a kill as well as two blocks.
YSU grabbed early leads in both the second and third sets, but Akron answered with long scoring runs to take control. The Zips then built a 13-5 advantage in the fourth to close out the match in four sets.
In the match against Kent State, the ’Guins battled in five sets against the Flashes before the final set ended in a 16-14 loss.
It was a night of 20s for Householder as she recorded 22 kills to go along with 21 digs, and became the 20th player in program history to record a 20-20 performance.
In the second set, the Penguins answered with a 25-19 victory despite a low hitting percentage of 26%. The team also contributed four blocks and three aces, while Kent State struggled with four service errors.
Youngstown State will begin Horizon League play Sept. 26 at the Kress Events Center with a two-match series against the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
