The Youngstown State volleyball team swept Ball State in its season opener on Friday, beating the Cardinals 25-16, 34-32 and 25-19, in the first match of the Fort Wayne Invitational Sponsored by Hyatt Place.
The Penguins scored the first five points of the match en route to their win in the first set, and they outlasted Ball State for the 34-32 marathon win in the second. Youngstown State hit an impressive .472 in the third set to finish the win.
Sam Brown led all players with 14 kills, and Lori Vanbeek added 12. Brown added 11 digs, and setter Val Jeffery posted 37 assists.
"We had a complete team effot, our our communication was outstanding tonight," YSU head coach Mark Hardaway said. "I'm very proud of how the team played tonight. That second set win was critical, and we made the clutch plays down the stretch. Dana Borsz made a great hustle play to save a set point late in the match, and I think that was the turning point."
Youngstown State will play a pair of matches on Saturday. The Penguins will play the host Mastodons at 12:30 p.m., and they'll finish their tournament stay against Murray State at 4 p.m.
