By Madeline Hippeard
After 17 kills, 17 assists and 15 digs against Kent State University on Sept. 15, senior setter and right-side hitter Josi Borum earned her third triple-double of the season, placing her as the national triple-double leader in Division I college volleyball.
The Penguins won three of four sets on the road at Kent State, but they lost the first set of the match, 18-25.
After trailing 17-10 in the second set, the Penguins came back strong after a timeout and won the set, 26-24.
The Penguins trailed for most of the third set. However, the women fought hard and pulled ahead at the last minute, earning a 25-23 victory.
In the fourth set, the Penguins held the lead for the first time in the match.
Borum’s 17th kill of the match finished the fourth set with a 25-21 victory.
After learning she led the nation in triple-doubles, Borum said she was excited, but is keeping her sights on a bigger goal for the season.
“My only goal is to beat my 10 triple-doubles last year. I kind of want to beat my own record in that,” Borum said.
Borum also recorded her 1,000th career dig.
The Penguins also lost three of four sets to the University of Akron in front of nearly 700 Youngstown-area students in the first-ever School Field Trip Game.
Head women’s volleyball coach Aline Scott said the idea to hold a kid’s day game was a result of a scheduling conflict.
“We had to move the time of our game this year and so we had this idea of moving it to an early in the morning game so that we could invite all the local elementary and middle schools to attend the game and fill the gym,” Scott said.
Shortly after the first set started, the power went out in Beeghly Center.
While the power was out, players interacted with the students while listening to music on a battery-powered speaker.
The power remained off for over an hour. Once back on, players were given time to warm up and play resumed.
Akron continued to outscore the Penguins following the power outage, which led to Akron’s win in the opening set, 16-25.
In the second set, the Zips went on a 15-1 run after overcoming an 8-8 tie. Unable to recover, the Penguins lost the second set, 16-25.
Despite losses in the first and second sets, the women scored 12 of the first 15 points of the third set, winning the set, 25-19.
Sophomore Abbie Householder led the offense with 10 kills throughout the game, two of which occurred during an 0-6 run for the Penguins in the third set.
The Penguins started the fourth set with a 12-11 lead. However, the lady ‘Guins were unable to hold their lead, losing the set 16-25.
Youngstown State returned home against Northern Kentucky University on Sept. 19 and fell to the Norse in four sets.
Despite the loss, Borum recorded her fourth triple-double of the season to go along with 13 kills, 20 assists and 16 digs.
The Penguins return to action at 6 p.m., Sept. 22, when they travel to Rochester, Mich. to face Oakland University.
To watch the game and find more information, visit ESPN+ and YSUsports.com.