By Teziah Howard / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University volleyball team was bested by the Northern Kentucky University Norse Oct. 4-5. The weekend losses brought the Penguins to a five-game losing streak and the Norse to a two-game winning streak.
After four sets against Northern Kentucky, the scores were 25-18, 18-25, 25-23 and 25-18. Despite falling in four sets, the Penguins had a number of athletes that went on to reach milestones in the matchup.
Sophomore Gabriela Machin posted a career-high in kills with 16, while junior Abbie Householder led the match in kills for YSU with 17.
The Penguins held the competition tight as YSU led the matchup in attempts with 169, while Northern Kentucky had 155.
Youngstown State also led the matchup in aces with five, while Northern Kentucky recorded four. Assists were kept close as well, as YSU racked up 49 to NKU’s 47.
NKU’s defense surged late in the matchup. The Norse recorded 12 blocks in Friday’s matchup to the Penguins’ eight. Northern Kentucky graduate-student middle blocker Allie Siefke led the Norse with six.
The Norse were able to benefit from YSU’s costly mistakes. As YSU’s offense was clicking, having more kills than NKU, the Penguins could not escape the attack errors. The Norse only had 19 errors, but the ’Guins tallied 32.
Northern Kentucky’s offense was wired from sophomore outside hitter Ava Hoying and senior outside hitter Joy Banks. Hoying and Banks posted 12 kills each for the Norse.
Saturday’s matchup featured more back-and-forth action than Friday’s competition. The teams went into five sets with the Norse, emerging on top in a 3-2 victory. The set scores were 25-21, 25-7, 25-15, 25-17 and 15-11.
Householder led the matchup in kills with 23, while Hoying led the Norse with 14. The Penguins evenly distributed aces in the matchup between fifth-year setter Isabel Schaefbauer, fifth-year defensive specialist Nyia Setla and junior outside hitter Bianca Giglio.
YSU returns to the Beeghly Center for four-consecutive matchups, and the team’s veterans have much appreciation for the environment inside their home court.
Senior Kiyah Franklin reflected on the impact of her team’s fans and said the support was long-lasting.
“I love our fans because they are always hyping us up. They always know when to be at their loudest and then when to stay in their place,” Franklin said. “Shoutout to the swim team as well because they are always supporting us and coming to our games being hype and getting loud.”
Franklin also mentioned the mindset going into the stretch of home games.
“We’re excited about all of our matchups in the new arena, but we can’t let all the home games get to our head,” Franklin said. “We still need to lock in and take it one game at a time so we can stay on track.”
The Penguins will look to get back on track as they return home for a four-game stint inside the Beeghly Center. They will face the Wright State University Raiders Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12.
Friday’s matchup is set to begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s game follows at 2 p.m. To view live stats and stay updated on the team’s matchup, visit YSUsports.com.
