Youngstown -- The Youngstown State volleyball team will play eight matches at Beeghly Center and three more at a tournament in Akron as part of its 2012 schedule, first-year head coach Mark Hardaway announced.
The Penguins will open the Hardaway era on Aug. 24 against Eastern Kentucky at the Spartan Showcase in East Lansing, Mich. YSU’s home opener will be Sept. 4 against Robert Morris, and the Guins’ first Horizon League match will be at defending conference champion Milwaukee on Sept. 21. YSU will also have home matches on Oct. 20 and Nov. 3 that will be partnered with home football games.
After the Spartan Showcase, where YSU will also play Michigan State and McNeese State, the Penguins will play four matches the following weekend at the Coppin State Tournament against the host Eagles, Bryant, North Carolina A&T and Chicago State. Youngstown State’s match at Beeghly Center against Robert Morris on Sept. 4 will be its only non-tournament contest during non-conference play, and it will serve as the half-way point between its four tournaments to start the season.
Although the Penguins have just one home match the first five weeks of the season, they will play Binghamton, SIU-Edwardsville and Akron less than an hour west of campus at the Zips Invitational Sept. 7-8. Youngstown State will then head to Greensboro, N.C. for its final in-season tournament against Morehead State, UNC Greensboro and UNC Wilmington the following weekend.
The Horizon League portion of the schedule will begin at Milwaukee and Green Bay on Sept. 21-22, and the Guins will host UIC and Loyola on Sept. 28-29. YSU will then play at Wright State and Valparaiso the first weekend of October, and the Penguins will return for a three-match home stand over the next two weeks. Youngstown State will host Cleveland State on Oct. 12 to conclude the first-round of league play, and Green Bay and Milwaukee will come to town the following weekend. The match against Milwaukee on Oct. 20 will be at 2 p.m., two hours before the YSU football team kicks off against Southern Illinois.
YSU will head back on the road to play at Loyola and UIC to conclude October, and the Guins will host Valparaiso and Wright State on Nov. 2-3. The match against the Raiders on Nov. 3 will start at 7 p.m., following YSU’s home football game against South Dakota State. The final regular season match will be Nov. 8 at Cleveland State. The top six teams in the standings will qualify for the Horizon League Tournament, which will be played Nov. 16-18 at the home arena of the regular season champion.
| August |
|
| Fri |
24 |
vs. Eastern Kentucky |
Spartan Showcase |
|
4:30 PM |
|
| Sat |
25 |
at Michigan State |
Spartan Showcase |
|
12:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
25 |
vs. McNeese State |
Spartan Showcase |
|
5:30 PM |
|
| Fri |
31 |
at Coppin State |
Coppin State Tournament |
|
11:00 AM |
|
| Fri |
31 |
vs. Bryant |
Coppin State Tournament |
|
3:00 PM |
|
| September |
|
| Sat |
1 |
at North Carolina A&T |
Coppin State Tournament |
|
10:00 AM |
|
| Sat |
1 |
vs. Chicago State |
Coppin State Tournament |
|
4:00 PM |
|
| Tue |
4 |
Robert Morris |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
7 |
vs. Binghamton |
Zips Invitational |
|
11:00 AM |
|
| Fri |
7 |
vs. SIUE |
Zips Invitational |
|
5:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
8 |
at Akron |
Zips Invitational |
|
2:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
14 |
vs. Morehead State |
Spartan Spiketacular |
|
4:30 PM |
|
| Sat |
15 |
at UNC Greensboro |
Spartan Spiketacular |
|
12:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
15 |
vs. UNC Wilmington |
Spartan Spiketacular |
|
4:30 PM |
|
| Fri |
21 |
at Milwaukee * |
|
|
8:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
22 |
at Green Bay * |
|
|
5:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
28 |
UIC * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
29 |
Loyola * |
|
|
4:00 PM |
|
| October |
|
| Fri |
5 |
at Wright State * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
6 |
at Valparaiso * |
|
|
6:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
12 |
Cleveland State * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
19 |
Green Bay * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
20 |
Milwaukee * |
|
|
2:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
26 |
at Loyola * |
|
|
8:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
27 |
at UIC * |
|
|
5:00 PM |
|
| November |
|
| Fri |
2 |
Valparaiso * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Sat |
3 |
Wright State * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Thu |
8 |
at Cleveland State * |
|
|
7:00 PM |
|
| Fri |
16 |
at TBA |
Horizon League Tournament |
|
TBA |
|
| Sat |
17 |
at TBA |
Horizon League Tournament |
|
TBA |
|
| Sun |
18 |
at TBA |
Horizon League Tournament |
|
TBA |
|
Home games in bold.
* Horizon League Game |
