Oct. 20, 2009

Penguins Head to Chicago This Weekend for Two Key Matches

Youngstown -- The Youngstown State volleyball team will play two of its most important matches of the season this weekend on its Chicago road trip against Loyola and UIC.

The Penguins, sitting in a tie for fifth in the Horizon League standings with a conference record of 4-6, will play Loyola on Friday at 8 p.m. and UIC on Saturday at 3 p.m. Loyola is in a tie for seventh with a 3-7 mark, and UIC is fourth in the standings with a 5-5 ledger. Only the top six teams at the end of the regular season will make the Horizon League Tournament.

Senoir Chicagoland native Ruth Boscaljon hopes to make her final trip to the Windy City a successful one for the Penguins.

YSU defeated both teams the last weekend in September, topping Loyola in four sets and UIC in five.

The Guins enter the weekend coming off three straight losses to the top three teams in the league standings. Prior to that stretch, YSU had won four out of five dating back to its win over Loyola on Sept. 25.

Senior middle hitter Ruth Boscaljon continues to lead the Penguins at the net as her 245 kills are twice as many kills than any other player. Kaitlin O'Hara, who ranks second with 122 kills, has been a lift over the past four matches by registering a team-high 47 kills from the outside. O'Hara had a career-high 17 kills in YSU's four-set loss at Valparaiso on Friday.

Following this weekend, YSU will entertain Green Bay and Milwaukee on Oct. 30 and 31.

Scouting Loyola

Loyola (10-13 overall, 3-7 Horizon League) has gone 2-5 since its loss at YSU on Sept. 25 and has lost five of its last six. The lone win, however, came against Butler, the third place team in the Horizon League standings. Last weekend, the Ramblers lost at both Green Bay and Milwaukee, two teams that were below or tied with them in the standings. Colleen Francis averages a team-high 3.03 kills per set as one of five players with more than 130 kills on the year. Mallory Curran averages 1.04 blocks per set, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League.

Last Time vs. Loyola

Boscaljon had 20 kills, and Youngstown State hit .336 as a team to defeat Loyola in four sets on Sept. 25 at the Beeghly Center. Boscaljon hit .600 and added four blocks to her evening as she moved into third place in school history in career kills and career blocks. Brittany Grove had 13 kills, and Allison Heinz added 12. Boscaljon had four kills in the first set, five in the second, six in the third and five in the fourth as YSU won 22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22. Laurie Shives' 21 digs headlined four players in double figures, and freshman setter Angela Roidt had 51 assists.

Scouting UIC

UIC (10-13, 5-5 Horizon) has lost three straight matches after going on a three-match win streak that also included Butler. However, since the win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 10, UIC has lost in straight sets to Valparaiso and Green Bay and in five to Milwaukee. Sullivan leads the Flames with 260 kills, an average of 3.02 in 86 sets, and Lana Lobdell has 83 blocks to go with her .300 attack percentage. Setter Jessica Dalke ranks second in the Horizon League with 0.31 aces per set. She had four aces against the Penguins on Sept. 26.

Last Time vs. UIC

Boscaljon had 24 kills, and Brittany Grove posted a career-high 17 as Youngstown State defeated UIC in five sets on Sept. 26 at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins were down two sets to one before winning the final two 25-21 and 15-11. Shives had 24 digs, Brittany Holland had 14, and the Penguins withstood 10 aces by the Flames. UIC, which also committed nine serving errors, had four players reach double figures in kills. Casie Sullivan had a team-high 15, and Epiphany Davis had her 10 kills in just 14 attempts.