Akron Opens League Play at Youngstown State

Sunday, March 16

Youngstown, Ohio

12:00 PM

University of Akron

Youngstown State

March 15 | Women's Lacrosse

YOUNGSTOWN STATE: LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron lacrosse team is set to open Mid-American Conference play with a road showdown at Youngstown State on Sunday (March 16) at noon.

ZIPS NAME TRIO TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2025:
The Akron senior trio of Noelle Boyd (Murrysville, Pa.), Jaelyn Clinkscales (Rochester, N.Y.) and Bryanne Harner (Friendswood, Texas) will serve as the Zips' captains for the 2025 campaign.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Sophomore Sienna Hinchcliffe (Rochester, Minn.) leads the Zips in goals (27), points (34), shots (59) and shots on goal (43). Noelle Boyd paces the squad in assists (8) and draw controls (36), while ranking third in ground balls (13). Junior Katie Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) directs the team in assists (8). Senior goalkeeper Hannah Sanders (Massillon, Ohio) has registered 48 saves and a team-high 21 ground balls.

SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE:
Akron is meeting Youngstown State for the eighth time in program history. The Penguins enter their showdown with the Zips at 5-3 on the campaign following a 18-8 victory at Radford on March 8. Sophomore Katie Grottenthaler leads Youngstown State's offensive efforts pacing the squad in goals (26), shots (42) and shots on goal (36), while ranking second in points (28) and ground balls (16). Junior goalkeeper Brooke Harper has collected 29 saves and five ground balls on the campaign en route to posting a 12.36 goals against average. Youngstown State is led by second-year head coach Rob Harris, who owns a 5-19 ledger as a head coach for the Penguins and is 108-65 in 11 years overall as a head coach.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (APRIL 28, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO):
Akron closed its 2024 season with a decisive 17-7 triumph past Youngstown State on Senior Day on April 28, 2024, at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Noelle Boyd directed Akron's offensive efforts registering a game-high four goals to go along with a team-best two assists.
• Sienna Hinchcliffe and Macy Vail added to the offensive attack tallying three goals apiece.
• Netting a goal each was Katie Baumer, Lillian Bowling, Jaelyn Clinkscales, junior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.), Jacqueline Glassey, Kaija Kunttu (Zionsville, Ind.) and senior Graceann Schwab.
• Boyd and Glassey garnered two assists each to go along with one assist apiece from Bowling, Presley Call, Hinchcliffe and Anjali Silverheels.
• Hinchcliffe recorded a team-high six shots, including five on goal, while Boyd tallied four shots, all of net.
• Baumer netted three caused turnovers, while collecting a team-best three ground balls was Kylan Rhude and Baumer.
• Boyd led Akron with six draw controls.
• Rhude and senior goalkeeper Hannah Sanders (Massillon, Ohio) pulled in eight and two saves, respectively for the Zips.

OUR LAST TIME OUT:
Katie Baumer posted a team-high three goals in a 16-12 setback at Rider on Wednesday (March 12).

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Baumer collected three goals to spark the Akron offense. Adding two goals apiece was senior Heather Carey (Williamsville, N.Y.), Jaelyn Clinkscales, senior Kylie Harris (Lake Norman, N.C.) and Sienna Hinchcliffe, while Kellen Fletcher rounded out the scoring for the Zips with a goal.
• Recording one assist each was Noelle Boyd and Fletcher.
• Baumer, Hinchcliffe and Carey posted six, five and four shots, respectively, for the Zips.
• In her first career start redshirt junior goalkeeper Kaelen Sieja (Courtland Manor, N.Y.) led Akron with nine ground balls, while Baumer, Boyd and Hinchcliffe pulled in a team-high three draw controls each.
• Bryanne Harner tallied two caused turnovers, while Sieja recorded a career-high 11 saves in net for Akron.

IN THE LATEST MAC RANKINGS:
• Akron leads the Mid-American Conference in assists per contest (6.25), ground balls per tilt (17.88) and goals against average (9.74).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe leads the conference in points per outing (4.25), second in goals per game (3.38) and shots per contest (7.38) and eighth in assists per match (0.88).
• Noelle Boyd is fifth in the league in draw controls per match (4.50), sixth in assists per game (1.00) and 10th in shots per tilt (4.13).
• Hannah Sanders ranks first in the league in goals against average (8.92), third in ground balls (3.00), fourth in saves per game (6.86) and sixth in save percentage (.436).
• Katie Baumer is sixth in assists per tilt (1.00), shots per outing (4.75) and in ground balls per match (2.50) and ninth in points per game (2.63).
• Antonia Trickett is rated fourth in caused turnovers (1.50).

ZIPS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
• Hannah Sanders is 13th in the NCAA in goals against average (8.92) and 22nd in ground balls (3.00).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is rated 18th in the NCAA in goals (27), 24th in shots per game (7.25), 29th in shots on goal (5.25) and in points (34), 30th in goals per contest (3.38) and 50th in points per tilt (4.25), while Katie Baumer is 41st in ground balls per tilt (2.63).
• Akron ranked 22nd in the NCAA in ground balls (18.75), 26th in scoring defense (9.75), 32nd in assists per game (6.50), 38th in clearing percentage (.896), 44th in caused turnovers (8.88) and 47th in scoring margin (1.75).
• Noelle Boyd is ranked ninth among active NCAA D1 leaders in draw controls (4.50), 10th in ground balls (119), 16th in ground balls per game (1.98) and 27th in draw controls per tilt (4.50), while Hannah Sanders is rated 21st in ground balls (99) and 39th in saves (255).

UP NEXT:
Akron faces a road match at Radford on Wednesday (March 19) at 2 p.m.