By James Westover / The Jambar
Following a home stand against Horizon League conference rival Northern Illinois University, the Youngstown State University volleyball team took on Wright State University on Oct. 30 and Northern Kentucky University on Oct. 31. Both teams swept the Penguins 3-0 in matches.
The ’Guins started the weekend against the Raiders on Friday, where Wright State swept the ’Guins 3-0 in sets to end Youngstown State’s four-game win streak.
The Raiders surpassed the ’Guins in kills with 51, compared to 35 from the Penguins. Youngstown State posted 32 assists, three aces and five blocks, compared to Wright States’ 49 assists, four aces and six blocks.
Wright State controlled the first and second sets before the Penguins rallied in the third. Sophomore Layne Graffice and junior Kylie Surratt made key kills to tie the last match twice towards the end, but the ’Guins fell 25-23 to the Raiders.
With the win, the Raiders kept their 12-0 HL record intact, and their No. 1 spot in conference play this season.
Following the loss, the Penguins traveled to take on the Norse for another HL matchup Oct. 31. The Penguins fell 3-0 in the matches for their second straight loss, while the Norse ended a three-game losing streak.
The ’Guins kept the first two sets close and lost 25-23 in the first and 25-22 in the second. Youngstown State led the third set 16-11 but only scored three more times before the Norse won 25-19.
The Norses led the ’Guins on the stat sheet, including 37 kills to Youngstown State’s 35, 34 assists to 28, nine aces to five and 10 blocks to nine, respectively.
Graffice posted nine kills and nine digs on the day for the Penguins.
With a 11-12 record in the regular season and 7-5 in conference play, the Penguins will return home Nov. 6 for another HL matchup against Oakland University. Then Nov. 7, Youngstown State will travel to play the Golden Bears in Michigan. Both matches will be available to stream on ESPN+.
