Nov. 14, 2009

Boscaljon Gets 18 Kills as Guins' Season Ends at Wright State

Dayton, Ohio -- Senior Ruth Boscaljon had a match-high 18 kills in her last collegiate match to end a memorable career as the Youngstown State volleyball team lost in four sets to Wright State on Saturday afternoon.

The loss ends YSU's season as the Penguins can do no better than tie for sixth in the final Horizon League standings. Regardless of the result of Green Bay's match against Valparaiso later tonight, the Phoenix hold the tiebreaker against YSU by virtue of two wins over the Penguins. Only the top six seeds qualify for the Horizon League Tournament.

The Penguins complete the 2009 season with a 5-11 mark in the Horizon League and an overall record of 7-21. The five league wins tie for the most in school history. If Green Bay loses to Valparaiso, YSU's tie for sixth will be its best finish since joining the Horizon League in 2001.

Boscaljon finishes her career with 1,340 kills and 490 total blocks. She'll leave YSU as the school record holder in career hitting percentage and ranking second in career blocks and third in career kills.

The match also closed out the careers of seniors Allison Heinz, Dana Leslie and Kaitlin O'Hara. The four seniors led YSU to 15 Horizon League wins in their careers. The Penguins had three Horizon League wins combined in the five years prior to their arrival.

Wright State got at least 10 kills from four players, including 17 from Lexi Leonhard and 10 from Becca Awaa on their senior day. Two of Leonhard's kills came on set point in the second and fourth sets.

The Penguins led the entire first set and jumped out to a 10-3 advantage en route to a 25-19 set win. The Penguins hit .250 collectively in the set and blocked four Wright State attacks.

After a back-and-forth start to the second set, YSU scored four straight points and eventually took a 19-15 lead. That's when the match turned as Wright State scored eight straight points to go ahead 23-19. YSU was able to climb within one once the Raiders got to set point, but a Leonhard kill gave Wright State the 25-23 win.

YSU led 7-5 and 9-8 in the third set before Wright State rallied again. The Raiders scored four straight points to go up 12-9, and, once YSU got within 12-11, scored six straight to take an 18-11 lead. YSU got as close as four before Wright State pulled out the 25-20 victory.

Wright State never trailed in the fourth set despite YSU fighting to tie the score three times in the middle of the set. The Raiders opened up a four-point lead at 19-15, and YSU was able to get within two six times before a Leonhard kill finished the match.

The Horizon League Tournament will be Nov. 20-22 at Cleveland State, which clinched the top by defeating on Friday last night.