YSU Falls to Green Bay on Senior Night

by YSU

Sunday, Nov 17, 2013 11:12 am

Green Bay outlasted the Youngstown State volleyball team 28-26 in the opening set and proceeded to win the next two in a sweep of the Penguins on Saturday evening at Beeghly Center in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Phoenix did not trail in winning the second set 25-17, and they endured 11 ties and three lead changes in their 25-21 win in the third set.

Green Bay finished the regular season at 14-13 overall and 9-5 in Horizon League play while Youngstown State finished 15-14 and 7-7. The teams will play each other again in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday in Milwaukee as the fourth and fifth seeds. Youngstown State beat Green Bay in four sets earlier this year.

YSU senior Nichele Johnson had a match-high 11 kills in 20 attempts, and Alexis Egler and Erika West both had 15 digs. Jenna Cavanaugh led all players with six blocks.

Leah Van Zeeland matched Johnson with 11 kills to lead the Phoenix.

Penguins senior Missy Hundelt served a point early for YSU, and the Penguins went on to take a 13-9 lead on the Phoenix in the first set. Hundelt is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL and played as part of YSU's Senior Day. Green Bay trimmed the deficit to one at 14-13, but YSU still held the upper hand until a Sabrina Marunowski ace tied the set at 19. YSU led 20-19 and 21-20 before Green Bay scored four straight points to go up 24-21. YSU answered with a 4-0 run and had two chances at set points before Green Bay got back-to-back kills from Shannon Hurley and another from Emily Riese to pull out the 28-26 win.

Green Bay scored four of the first five points in the second set, and YSU was only able to tie the score at five and seven. The Phoenix scored five straight points when it was 7-7, and they maintained at least a three-point margin the rest of the way.

YSU either had the lead or was tied in the third set until Green Bay scored three straight points to go up 12-10. The Penguins reclaimed the lead at 16-15 on an Egler kill, and a Van Zeeland error pushed the margin to 18-16. Another three-point run for the Phoenix gave them the lead at 19-18, and YSU did not lead again. The score was tied three more times, the final time at 21 following a Lauren Thompson kill, before Green Bay scored the final four points of the match.

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