Volleyball Set to Play in Courtyard Marriott-Canfield Penguin Invitational

Friday, September 8

Youngstown, OH

7 p.m.

University of Akron

Fort Wayne

September 06 | Women's Volleyball

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Game Notes (PDF)

AKRON, Ohio- The University of Akron volleyball team is set to play in the Courtyard Marriott-Canfield Penguin Invitational, hosted by Youngstown State this weekend, Sept. 8-9, at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio.

THIS WEEK
The Zips continue tournament play this weekend at the Courtyard Marriott-Canfield Penguin Invitational hosted by Youngstown State., Sept. 8-9. Akron will face Fort Wayne, St. Francis (Pa.), and tournament host Youngstown State.

On Friday, Sept. 8, Akron faces Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 9, the Zips close out tournament play with a doubleheader against tournament host Youngstown St. at 11 a.m., followed by a match against State. Francis (Pa.) at 4:40 p.m.

FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 1
1:00 PM – Fort Wayne vs. Youngstown State.
4:00 PM – St. Francis (Pa.) vs. Youngstown State.
7:00 PM – St. Francis (Pa.) vs. Akron- Live Stats

Saturday, Sept. 9
11:00 AM – Akron vs. Youngstown State – Live Stats
4:40 PM – Akron vs. St. Francis (Pa.)- Live Stats

A WIN WOULD GIVE AKRON

Its third win of the 2017 season.
It's first victory in an opening match of a tournament this season.

MEET THE ZIPS
The Akron Zips, under the guidance of third-year head coach Tom Hanna, stand at 2-4 overall after hosting the Akron Invitational last weekend. The Zips picked up a 3-0 victory over Tennessee Tech (25-20, 25-23, 25-17), but fell to Loyola (25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 20-25) and LaSalle (25-16, 22-25, 20-25, 17-25) 3-1 in both matches.

Akron returns six starters from a year ago, while welcoming seven newcomers, including six freshmen. After six contests, junior Kayla Gwozdz (Temperance, Mich.) leads the Zips with 93 kills and 37 digs, followed by junior Madi Baer (Stow, Ohio) with 48 kills. Freshman Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) leads the defense with 81 digs.

AKRON INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kayla Gwozdz was named to the Akron Invitational All-Tournament team. For the tournament, Gwozdz connected on 49 kills, hitting a .216 percentage, while also posting 19 digs.
SCOUTING FORT WAYNE
The Mastodons, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Steve Florio, stand at 3-4 overall. Last weekend Fort Wayne, went 0-3 at the Ball St Active Ankle Challenge. The Mastodons fell in straight sets to Bradley, Navy, and Ball State. Fort Wayne's top hitter is junior Nicole Rightenowar with 85 kills, followed by its top defensive player junior Elizabeth Britner with 77 digs.

SERIES VS. FORT WAYNE
The series is tied 1-1 between two team in the all-time series records. The Mastodons defeated the Zips in the last meeting in 2006 in a 3-0 decision (30-26, 30-20, 31-29). This marks the third meeting between the two teams.

SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Penguins, under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Mark Hardaway, stand 4-4 overall. Last weekend at the Glory Road Invitational the Penguins went 0-3. They fell to New Mexico, North Dakota, and UTEP in straight sets. Youngstown State is led by junior middle blocker Sarah Varcolla with 82 kills. The Penguins' top defensive player is senior libero Lauren Blanco with a team-high 96 digs.

SERIES VS. YOUNSTOWN STATE
Akron holds a 43-9 all-time series advantage over Youngstown State. The Penguins defeated the Zips in the last meeting in 2016 with a 3-0 win (25-17, 25-18, 25-15). This weekend marks the 52nd meeting between the two teams.

SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS (PA)
The Red Flash, under the guidance of first-year head coach Sara McMullen, stand 3-3 overall. Last weekend St. Francis went 2-1 at the Lafayette Tournament. The Red Flash came away with a 3-0 victory over Norfolk, and fell to Lehigh University 3-0 and Lafayette College 3-0. Senior Kelsey Roush leads the Red Flash offense with 60 kills, while senior Jenna Veres leads the defense with 74 digs.

SERIES VS. ST. FRANCIS (PA)
St. Francis holds a 12-2 record over Akron. This is the second meeting this season between the two teams. Akron faced St. Francis in the Kristen Dickmanm Invitational on Aug. 26 and fell to the Red Flash 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21).

UP NEXT FOR AKRON
The Zips continue on the road next week traveling to West Point, N.Y. for the Army West Point Tournament Sept. 15-16. Akron opens the tournament with a doubleheader on Friday, Sept. 16 against West Virginia at 11 a.m. and Providence at 4 p.m. The Zips close tournament action on Saturday, Sept. 16 against Army West Point at 12 p.m.