Challenging Non-Conference Slate, 11 Home Matches Highlight 2013 Volleyball Schedule

by YSU

Friday, Jun 14, 2013 10:29 am

The Youngstown State volleyball team will play 11 home matches, battle five teams from the Mid-American Conference and take on two BCS conference schools as part of a challenging and exciting 2013 schedule released by Penguins head coach Mark Hardaway.

The Penguins will host Saint Francis (Pa.), Tulane and Toledo at the YSU Invitational on Sept. 6-7, and the home schedule also features three doubleheaders with the YSU football team. The non-conference portion of the slate also features tournaments in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and St. Louis, and Youngstown State will take on Iowa and Arizona State in the first three weeks of the season. There are also non-conference matches against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, the Atlantic 10 and Conference USA. The Horizon League opener for YSU will be against Cleveland State at Beeghly Center on Sept. 27, and the Horizon League Tournament will begin on Nov. 22.

"Our 2013 schedule is definitely a step up from last season," Hardaway said. "With seven seniors and 12 returning letterwinners on the roster, we want to challenge the team more in the non-conference part of our schedule to better prepare them for what we expect will be a very competitive year in the Horizon League."

The Penguins will open 2013 at the Chanticleer Invitational against host Coastal Carolina, Iowa and Wofford on Aug. 30-31. They'll return home for the YSU Invitational the following weekend before starting a busy stretch where they'll play five matches in a six-day span that Hardaway called the toughest test of the non-conference slate. Youngstown State will play Arizona State at the University of Illinois on Sept. 12, and it will begin play at the Billiken Classic at Saint Louis on Sept. 13. In a homecoming for St. Louis native Missy Hundelt, the Penguins will play Bradley, the host Billikens and Miami (Ohio).

"We are very excited to host a tournament this fall," Hardaway said. "It should be a very competitive tournament with all four teams having very similar RPI's last season. With our football team playing Morehead State at home on Saturday, it should be a great weekend to be in town."

The Penguins will play at Bowling Green, where Hardaway was an assistant for 10 seasons, on Sept. 17 before playing Akron and Saint Francis (Pa.) in a doubleheader on Sept. 21 in Loretto, Pa. YSU's final matched prior to the start of league play will be at Robert Morris on Sept. 24.

Youngstown State will open Horizon League play at home for the first time since 2009 as it welcomes Cleveland State to Beeghly Center on Friday, Sept. 27. The Penguins will then step back outside of conference play to host Kent State on Oct. 1 in the final non-conference match of the season. YSU will then play at new Horizon League member Oakland on Oct. 4 and at Wright State on Oct. 5. The Penguins will return home to play Valparaiso on Oct. 11, and they'll host UIC on Oct. 12 as part of another doubleheader with the YSU football team. The Penguins will play at Green Bay and Milwaukee the following weekend, and they'll end October at Cleveland State on Oct. 25.

"I expect the conference to be very competitive in the fall, and the addition of Oakland makes the league stronger," Hardaway said. "So many teams are returning the majority of their starters, which will make it very difficult to qualify for the conference tournament. We will have to be prepared to fight every night during conference play."

YSU will start the final stretch of the regular season with home matches against Wright State and Oakland on Nov. 1-2. The Penguins' final two road matches will be at UIC and Valparaiso the following weekend, and Youngstown State will finish the regular season at home against Milwaukee and Green Bay on Nov. 15-16. YSU's Senior Day will be on Nov. 16 against the Phoenix, and that match will follow the YSU football team's game against North Dakota State.

The Penguins had their best season in 13 years in 2012, improving its win total by 10 and its RPI by 99 spots. Hundelt will be among the top returners in the Horizon League, and YSU also returns the conference's top blocker in Jenna Cavanaugh.

2013 Youngstown State Volleyball Schedule

Date		Opponent	Notes/Media	Result	Time/Status	Links
August
Fri	30	at Coastal Carolina	Chanticleer Invitational		6:00 PM
Sat	31	vs. Iowa	Chanticleer Invitational		1:30 PM
Sat	31	vs. Wofford	Chanticleer Invitational		4:30 PM
September
Fri	6	Saint Francis (Pa.)	YSU Invitational		11:00 AM
Fri	6	Tulane	YSU Invitational		7:00 PM
Sat	7	Toledo	YSU Invitational		1:00 PM
Thu	12	vs. Arizona St.			8:00 PM
Fri	13	at Bradley	Billiken Classic		5:30 PM
Sat	14	at Saint Louis	Billiken Classic		1:00 PM
Sat	14	at Miami (Ohio)	Billiken Classic		5:30 PM
Tue	17	at Bowling Green			7:00 PM	Live stats
Sat	21	vs. Akron	St. Francis (Pa.) Invitational		1:30 PM
Sat	21	at Saint Francis (Pa.)	St. Francis (Pa.) Invitational		4:00 PM
Tue	24	at Robert Morris			7:00 PM
Fri	27	Cleveland State *			7:00 PM
October
Tue	1	Kent State			7:00 PM
Fri	4	at Oakland *			5:00 PM
Sat	5	at Wright State *			4:00 PM
Fri	11	Valparaiso *			7:00 PM
Sat	12	UIC *			2:00 PM
Fri	18	at Green Bay *			8:00 PM
Sat	19	at Milwaukee *			5:00 PM
Fri	25	at Cleveland State *			7:00 PM
November
Fri	1	Wright State *			7:00 PM
Sat	2	Oakland *			4:00 PM
Fri	8	at UIC *			8:00 PM
Sat	9	at Valparaiso *			5:00 PM
Fri	15	Milwaukee *			7:00 PM
Sat	16	Green Bay *			6:00 PM
Fri	22	at TBD	Horizon League Tournament		TBA
Sat	23	at TBD	Horizon League Tournament		TBA
Sun	24	at TBD	Horizon League Tournament		TBA
Home games in bold. * Horizon League Game

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